Lucky
by skittlesmomma27
Summary: What if the group had reinforced the perimeter of the farm and it was never overrun? This is all about life in the 'What if' world. DarylxBeth
1. Chapter 1

**NEW STORY! NEW STORY! NEW STORY!**

 **Just a few changes! Nothing major.**

 **This story does take place in the apocalypse but not much after the group comes to the farm will actually happen in this story. This will be explained as the story unfolds. I promise. Bear with me when it comes to this first chapter...the remaining chapters will tell the events that led to this point in the chapter. Hope you enjoy and stick around for the rest!**

Chapter 1

"Come on Lucky, you can do this." Daryl breathed into my ear as I sat in the cradle of his legs gritting my teeth and pushing with all my might one more time hoping our stubborn child would cooperate. I had been in labor since yesterday evening and pushing for what seemed like hours.

With a tired grunt I collapsed back against his chest when Carol nodded at me from her position between my legs where she was attempting to coax our stubborn child into the world. "I see the head, Beth, so I need a few more good pushes to get this little one into the world." She smiled up at me as Maggie laid a damp rag against my forehead.

"Come on Bethie. You can do this." She whispered gently. "You're stronger than all of us put together. Give it your best shot." She whispered with a wink before stepping back to the foot of my bed.

"Come on baby, give momma a break." I pleaded with my unborn child as I felt my large stomach tighten once more in a contraction. I grit my teeth and bared down like Carol had been instructing me to do for the past month. "GOD!" I screamed as I felt the most intense pain I had ever felt in my entire life.

"That's it, Beth. Almost there." Carol said with a bright smile as she looked back down between my legs. "One more. Keep going." She said as I took a deep breath and pushed again. Finally feeling some relief from the tiring job of delivering a baby.

I watched on in amazement as Carol handed my slime covered baby to Maggie who went about cleaning her up. "Is she okay?" I asked as Carol delivered the afterbirth and cleaned me up. "Daryl."

"I love you, Lucky." He whispered against the crown of my head. "Your sister knows what she's doing."

"She's fine, Bethie. Just looking around." Maggie cooed as she cradled our daughter in her arms. "Congratulations you two. You have a daughter." She said as she gently laid the still naked baby in my arms.

Settling the little girl in my arms I looked back at Daryl who was watching us with wide eyes over my shoulder. "You okay?" I whispered as the tiny baby looked up at us with wide black eyes. Lori had explained to me that even though the baby was 'looking' at us she couldn't actually see us but assured us that she would know we were her parents because we had been talking to her my entire pregnancy.

"Yeah." He said in a gruff voice. "It's just surreal. I never thought I'd have a kid. Much less a daughter."

Maggie and Carol laughed as they cleaned up the mess from my delivery and cleaning the baby. "Well Pookie, you now have another girl to boss you around." Carol said softly as she pulled the sheet back over my legs now that the hard part was over. It was summertime in Georgia so even a sheet could be stifling most days but the soft whirl of the overhead fan kept the air stirred around us.

"Great." He muttered as he reached around to play with our daughters feet which caused her to scrunch her nose up and pull her feet away from him.

"Ticklish are you?" I asked as I readjusted her so that I could try to get her to nurse. "Tell Daddy to stop." I said softly as I followed the steps that Carol and Lori had practically driven into my head in the past month. Finally, I got the girl to latch on without it hurting too much.

Carol and Maggie silently grabbed the dirtied linens and left the room, the door clicking shut softly behind them.

"We did it, Lucky. She's absolutely gorgeous, just like her momma." Daryl whispered as he ran his fingers gently over our daughters light brown hair that was covering her entire head. Being able to give birth to our daughter in the same home that me, my sister, and my daddy were all born in was something I never thought would happen once the dead started roaming the earth with us. But Daryl had made it possible.

"We know she's stubborn like her momma but let's hope she's quiet like her daddy." I remarked as I pulled the little girl away from my swollen breasts that Daryl had seemed fascinated with since I had told him I was pregnant while we picked peaches last fall.

Being quiet was imperative with the dead roaming the earth with us but we had defenses in place to make our home the safest place around. "We still going with Lilly Grace?" I asked as we watched our girls little mouth open and close indicating she was still hungry. I put on her the other breast to finish her feeding.

He reached over to stroke a finger down her tiny cheek as she began suckling once again. "Sounds perfect ta' me."

"Lilly Grace. Is that your name little girl?" I asked her as I settled back into Daryl's chest while his arms reached around mine to help me cradle our daughter.

"Do you remember the day we met for the first time?" Daryl asked softly as he glanced up at my face real quickly before focusing back on our daughter.

Smiling at him I nodded. "Of course I do. Not only do I remember it clearly I have it wrote down in my journals." I said pointing across the room to the shelf that was filled with the spiral notebooks Daryl had brought me back from one of his runs before we stopped making runs for good.

"Why?" He asked softly. "Why would you write about us?"

"So our kids can have our story to pass down once we're gone. Our memories may fade but my written words never will." I explained as he eased himself from behind me, going to the shelf to thumb through the notebooks. "Grab a diaper on your way back." I told him as he flipped through the notebooks until he found the place he wanted. The first time I laid eyes on him. Almost four years ago.

He settled back on the bed next to me with his back against the headboard he had made a few years ago when we broke the other one. "Will you read it to us? I love hearing your voice."

Swapping our daughter for my notebook I settled into the bed and began reading our story as he fastened the first diaper on the full baby.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Watching the vehicles pull onto the grass that my momma was so proud of just a few months ago caused an ache in my chest. "You okay with this?" Jimmy, my boyfriend, asked as we stood on the front porch watching as the vehicles pulled in a circle form around the massive oak tree that used to hold the swing that my daddy built himself when Maggie was just a little girl.

"I guess. Daddy says they're only staying until the boy recovers from the gunshot wound." I told him as he attempted to wrap his arm around my shoulders just to have me shrug it off. "Not now, Jimmy." I snapped irritably as I watched the group of people climb from their vehicles looking around curiously.

He stomped off the porch in a huff mumbling under his breath while I rolled my eyes. Jimmy and I had been going to school together since kindergarten and had started dating about six months ago. After his parents got bit they brought him to our farm and asked momma and daddy to please take care of him. They hadn't been able to refuse so Jimmy moved into our house while his parents chained themselves to a pole in our barn until they turned.

As I perched on the porch rail watching the new people get their 'camp' sat up in our front yard I heard the front porch screen door squeak open. "Bethie, can you go pick some tomatoes and squash for dinner?" Maggie, my big sister, asked as she stepped out onto the porch with me scowling at the newcomers.

With a sigh I slid off the railing and headed towards the garden spot in the back yard that had been there my entire life. In the garden I found my Daddy mumbling to himself. "You okay, Daddy?" I asked him softly as I bent down to the squash plants to pick enough for dinner. The fact that we had always had a garden meant that now that running to the store wasn't possible we still had food to eat. That along with the pigs, cows, horses, and chickens we had food wasn't a problem on our farm.

He looked at me with a frown on his face. "Just worried, Bethie. These new people create a whole new load of problems for us and the farm but don't you worry."

"What about Momma and Shawn and Jimmy's parents?" I asked as I stacked my small stack of squash in the dirt while I went to pick the tomatoes.

"I just don't know, Bethie. Rick said that they had some things to talk about after dinner, something about the CDC in Atlanta. Be sure to cook enough for everybody. Just because the dead are roaming the earth doesn't mean we can't be hospitable." He said as he walked out of the garden towards the front of the house.

I was so engrossed in my task of finding the ripest and biggest tomatoes for tonight's dinner that I didn't even hear the dead person coming towards me until it got hung up on the garden fence. With a scream caught in my throat I watched as one of the new guys raised a crossbow and shot an arrow straight through the head of the dead person. "Are you stupid girl?" He growled as he yanked the arrow from the dead's head before tugging it off the fence.

"That's Mr. Evans that owned the pharmacy in town." I mumbled wide eyed as he pulled the body away from the fence.

"It don't matter who it was because he was trying to eat you for dinner. He's a walker now." The guy snapped before stalking off as quick as he had appeared.

I quickly snatched up the vegetables from the garden and ran inside where I found Patricia already peeling some potatoes from the root cellar. "You okay, sweetheart?" She asked softly as she wiped her hands on a dish towel.

Shaking my head real quick I dumped my load into the sink. "Mr. Evans is dead." I mumbled. "That guy put an arrow through his head." I whispered as I nodded out the kitchen window that looked out onto the garden and backyard.

"Was he one of them?" She whispered as she rubbed a hand up and down my back. At my nod she continued. "Then he was trying to make you one too and we don't want that. While your daddy believes they can be brought back with a cure, I think otherwise. A person can't come back from this, Bethie."

"I know but Momma and Shawn…" I cried as my tears came unbidden to my eyes at the thought of my brother and mother in the barn along with the other dead people we knew.

Patricia pulled me into a tight hug as she whispered into my ear. "They're gone, Beth."

That night for dinner we had a feast of fried chicken, squash and potato casserole, and sliced tomatoes but it was the after dinner conversation that was tough. "I'm sorry Mr. Greene, but we have seen it with our own eyes at the CDC in Atlanta. Once the disease takes over the person's heart and organs are no longer functioning making them dead. Dr. Jenner said it was similar to someone being brain dead except the stem is still functioning enough to let them walk." Rick, the leader and father of the boy laid up in our guest bedroom, said as he placed his elbows on the table while he talked.

"But my son and wife have been bitten. There has to be a cure for them. They can't just be dead." My dad said with a shake of his head.

The old man with the bright Hawaiian shirt on, I think his name is Dale, spoke up next. "I understand it's hard. I lost my wife Irma within the first few weeks of the outbreak but I keep going each day to honor the sacrifice she made with her life. I'm sure your wife and son would want the same thing for you and your girls."

I couldn't sit there any longer so I shot up out of my seat and ran from the house all the way to the barn. I climbed up the outside ladder into the hay loft and crept to the edge where I lay down on my stomach so I could look down at my momma and brother and our neighbors. "Momma, I miss you so much. They say you aren't in there any more but I don't think I can believe that. You can't be gone." I cried as I watched my family and friends look up at me and immediately begin growling and reaching up towards me which caused me to cry even harder.

The second day with the new group camped on our front lawn was a whirlwind of action.

Early that morning, Otis and one of the new guys went after a machine that Daddy needed for the kid to survive while the rest of their group began the task of organizing a grid search of the land to search for a little girl that went missing from their group a few days ago. I was sitting on the front porch listening to the mom of the little girl describe to the guys what her daughter was wearing when she disappeared, and it dawned on me that I had seen the outfit she described. In the barn. Yesterday. "Oh no." I whispered to myself as I jumped up from my perch on the porch railing to run inside so I could find Maggie and Patricia. "Maggie!" I called out as I raced through the rooms downstairs and couldn't find her.

"I think she went outside." Lori, the boys mom said as she emerged from our guest room turned hospital room. "Is everything okay?"

I shook my head quickly before racing out the door to look for my sister. Thankfully I found her fairly quickly coming out of the chicken pen. "Maggie!" I called to get her attention as I ran over to her frantically.

"What's wrong, Beth?" She asked as she raked her eyes over my body quickly and gripped my arms to settle me down.

"The little girl they're looking for is in the barn with momma and Shawn." I rasped as I gasped for breath.

Apparently I wasn't as quiet or stealthy as I thought I was being because I was overheard by the new group of people. "You know where Sophia's at?" Dale, the elderly man that tinkered with things constantly asked from behind me. Where he was working on the water pump to get it going again.

With wide eyes I looked to Maggie for guidance who looked back at me with an equally wide eyed expression. "I think it's her." I whispered as I hung my head. "She's one of them." I mumbled.

Chaos ensued after that because Dale was loyal to his group of friends and told them what I had said which led to them demanding we open the barn doors. It was then that the seven dead humans from inside the barn came tumbling out at us causing the new people to fire their weapons into their skulls dropping them to the ground before they got to any of us. I collapsed on the ground beside my momma's body, pulling her into my arms as I sobbed into her chest. In my distraught state I didn't notice her hands grabbing my hair or her open mouth aiming for my shoulder but the guy with the crossbow did and quickly sent a bolt straight into the back of my momma's head. "No!" I screamed as I launched myself at him, pummeling my fists against his chest in my anger at him for killing my momma.

"What the hell is your problem, little girl? She was about to take a chunk out 'a ya'." He growled as he shoved me away from him with a scowl firmly planted on his face.

Raring my knee back I brought it forward into his groin in my anger. "That was my momma!" I screamed at him before taking off in a sprint towards my house.

The day just kept getting better because the guy, Shane, that left with Otis came back and delivered the machine along with the news that Otis hadn't made it out of the school with him. Patricia was devastated but Maggie was attempting to console her in the kitchen but her sobs could be heard throughout the house.

While my Daddy, Lori, and Rick were in the room saving the life of the young boy Otis had accidently shot a few days ago I noticed Shane go into the downstairs bathroom. On his way past my spot on the stairs I noticed he had a droplet of blood running down the side of his head and it looked like a chunk of hair was missing but I didn't know what fighting the dead involved so I kept my comments to myself as he closed the bathroom door.

He came out twenty minutes later with his hair shaved off which caused me to become curious. But I kept my comments to myself as he stalked past me on his way out the front door.

"Beth, you okay?" Jimmy asked as I sat on the stairs with my head resting on my knees listening to the sounds of my Daddy saving the life of the young boy in the bedroom.

I nodded.

"You don't seem fine. Will you please talk to me?" He begged.

I shook my head. "I don't want to talk, Jimmy. Please just leave me alone." I muttered from where my head rests on my bent knees.

"Beth, we don't need another accident like before." He reminded me as he nodded towards my wrist where several bracelets covered up a scar that I would rather forget ever existed.

A sudden rush of anger zapped through my body. "And I don't need idiots like you reminding me of things I would rather forget." I snapped at him before heading up the stairs to my bedroom where I firmly shut and locked the door.

As I lay on my twin size bed I had been sleeping in since I was two years old watching the sun set over our pastures several knocks came to my bedroom door but I simply didn't want to talk to anybody. "Not tonight, Maggie." I called out because I knew it was my sister.

"Just tell me you're okay, Bethie." She called from the other side of my bedroom door.

With a sigh I went and slid the lock open and cracked the door open so she could see my face. "I'm fine, Maggie. I just want to be left alone. Please." I whispered as I let her look at my face. She had been the one who broke down the bathroom door the last time I had become emotionally overwhelmed and decided to cut my wrists up with a piece of broken mirror just so I could feel something other than the despair and sadness that was swallowing me whole. And that was over my horse that Daddy had been forced to shoot in the head.

"Okay. I love you and I expect to see you at breakfast." She said as she handed me a peach picked from our own orchard.

Taking the offered fruit I nodded at her before shutting and locking my door once again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Here." Daryl, the crossbow man, said as he slung five skinned squirrels onto the counter as I stood there chopping up the cabbage Patricia had said she was going to make into a stew. "Dinner."

I looked at him wide eyed. "Thanks. Could you teach me how to hunt and fight against the dead?" I asked him softly on the off chance that he would take pity on the naïve farm girl trying to survive in this new world.

"Don't think ya' Pa will like tha' too much." He muttered as he stalked out of the kitchen as quickly as he left.

Stomping my foot I turn back around to finish my task of chopping the cabbage and carrots. "Who says I need my 'Pa's' approval?" I muttered to myself as I chopped the carrots in my frustration but got my finger instead. "Ow!" I cried out before sucking my finger into my mouth.

"Beth? You okay?" Jimmy asked as he walked into the room from the living room where he had been reading a book on sustainable farming.

"I'm fine." I snapped irritably as I pulled my finger from my mouth to check out the damage. Luckily, it wasn't all that deep and had stopped bleeding so I continued chopping the vegetables.

Just as I was getting back in the groove of dinner prep Jimmy invaded my space in the kitchen. "I'm worried about you, Beth. Something is going on with you lately and I'm worried."

"Well don't." I snapped at him. "The world's changed, Jimmy, we need to change with it to survive in it." I told him as I scooped up the carrots into the big stew pot. We ate a LOT of stews and soups these days.

Jimmy grabbed me by my elbow and turned me to face him. "Just because the world's changed doesn't mean we have to, Beth. I miss the playful young woman I used to know. Where did she go?" He asked as I scowled at him.

"She grew up, Jimmy. Maybe you should try it some time." I snapped as I yanked my elbow from his grip but he tightened his fingers around my arm holding me in place. "Let me go."

Jimmy returned my glare as he tightened his fingers just a tiny bit tighter around my arm before he finally released me with an exaggerated eye roll before stomping out the front door. "Beth? You okay?" Patricia asked as she walked into the kitchen from the basement. "I heard a commotion and came up as quickly as I could.

I nodded as I flexed my elbow gently. It was painful where Jimmy had gripped me so tightly and I was almost certain I would have bruises appear in a few hours. "Just a disagreement with Jimmy. Daryl brought some squirrel for dinner too."

"It's nice to have some meat to go along with the soups and stews." She said with a nod of her head. It wasn't like we didn't have meat to eat because we had the chickens, cows, and pigs that we slaughtered occasionally but Otis had been the one to bring us wild game for dinner. "I miss him, Bethie."

Placing my head on her shoulder I looked out the window with her as we stood in front of the sink. "I can only imagine. This new world isn't one for relationships, I don't think. Daddy lost momma, you lost Otis, Dale lost his wife, Carol lost her husband and Sophia, and Maggie will be devastated if she loses Glenn."

"That's where you're wrong, Bethie. With the world the way it is these days you have to make the most of every day because tomorrow is no guarantee. Relationships are a way for us all to get through the struggles we encounter now. Being able to talk to Otis about things at the end of the day made the struggles and stress worth it." Patricia whispered a she wrapped a comforting arm around my back. "And you have Jimmy for that."

"Not anymore. He's changed and is not somebody I like anymore." I whispered quietly to the room.

"Some people adapt better than others. Jimmy is young and has lost so much in such a short amount of time. Just because our options are limited doesn't mean you _have_ to be with Jimmy. We aren't the only ones alive but be careful, Beth, this new world isn't meant for some people." She told me softly before pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Okay, lets get dinner going."

"Okay." I whispered softly as I caught a glimpse of Daryl and his crossbow pass through the backyard.

Thirteen days after the caravan of vehicles pulled onto our property a small herd of the dead swarmed our property taking out a few cows and almost a few people in their quest.

"We need fences. Strong fences." Daryl grumbled as we sat around the kitchen table enjoying a big bowl of tomato soup and salad.

Once again I watched the conversation take place but remained quiet from my spot between Maggie and our Dad. "This is the first time more than one or two has stumbled through this farm. Fences are a waste of resources." Dad argued with a shake of his head.

"People make noise which draws the walkers to you. Daryl's right, we need fences. Tall strong fences to withstand a herd if one ever does decide to come this way." Rick said as he looked to his wife and son who had just today been allowed out of bed. "We each have a family to protect and Lori thinks she may be pregnant too so fences are necessary. My people will do all the work since it's our suggestion." I watched as the guy that went with Otis and came back alone looked wide eyed at Ricks wife.

Something fishy was going on there and I got a bad feeling in my gut at the look he was shooting at Lori and Rick. "There was a construction sight going on a few miles back that may offer some supplies to build the fence." Maggie said as she sat back in her seat. "I can show you tomorrow morning. There is some equipment there too that may make the work easier."

"Maggie." My dad said in warning as he shook his head at her, indicating he didn't like her idea.

Being the brazen older sister that she was she simply smiled at our father. "It'll be fine, Daddy. We can raid the building supply store in town too while we're out. I want to help make this place safe for all of us so we can build a life here."

"You always were a stubborn girl. Just be careful." Dad said as he stood from the table to take his bowls to the kitchen sink.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Sitting on the roof of our house as the sun set I felt my heart get heavy in my chest because Maggie, Jimmy, and several people from Rick's group had yet to make it back from their run they left for at sunrise three mornings ago. Three days. My sister and friend had been gone with those people for three whole days and I couldn't help but worry that they may never return. "Beth, you up there?" I heard my Dad call from the second story porch just below me.

I had been sneaking onto the roof since Maggie showed me how when I was just seven years old. "Yeah Daddy, I'm up here. I'll be down in a little bit, I was just looking for headlights or a fire or something to maybe let me know how she's doing."

"Your sister is a strong girl, she'll be back." He called up to me. "I love you, Bethie."

"I love you too, Daddy. Goodnight." I called down to him as I scanned the sky again for any kind of sign that my sister was out there, alive. But came up empty.

Eventually I gave up looking for a sign and simply laid back against the roof to look up at the stars twinkling above me as if the universe hadn't gone haywire just a few months ago. Not six months ago I was a junior year in high school who's biggest worry was splitting my time between Jimmy, my friends, and my school work. Thinking back to before the world turned upside down made tears spring to my eyes because back then I still had my momma and my brother and strangers weren't invading my home.

With a tight throat and tears in my eyes I opened my mouth and let the pain tumble out in a song I used to listen to with my momma when she was in a somber mood because Daddy was away on business.

 _It's a lesson too late for the learning  
Made of sand, made of sand  
In the wink of an eye my soul is turnin'  
In your hand, in your hand_

 _Are you going away with no word of farewell  
Will there be not a trace left behind  
Well, I could've loved you better, didn't mean to be unkind  
You know that was the last thing on my mind_

 _You've got reason a plenty for goin'  
This I know, this I know  
For the weeds have been steadily growin'  
Please don't go, please don't go_

 _Are you going away with no word of farewell  
Will there be not a trace left behind  
Well, I could've loved you better, didn't mean to be unkind  
You know that was the last thing on my mind_

 _As I lie in my bed in the mornin'  
Without you, without you.  
Every song in my breast lies a bornin'  
Without you, without you._

 _Are you going away with no word of farewell  
Will there be not a trace left behind  
Well, I could've loved you better, didn't mean to be unkind  
You know that was the last thing on my mind  
That was the last thing on my mind_

With a swipe to my cheeks to rid my face of the tears that had been pouring out steadily as I sung the sad song I got up and began my climb back down onto the second floor porch and into my bedroom. "Be safe out there Maggie. I'll be here waiting for you when you get back." I whispered to a picture on my nightstand of our entire family that was taken just a few months before everything changed for the worst. "Please come back home." I whispered to the dark as I settled my weary body down to try to catch some sleep.

I'm not sure when I dozed off but before I realized it sunlight was streaming brightly through my window yanking me from my deep sleep. Instead of the big breakfast we usually prepared we all simply fended for ourselves before getting to the chores that had to be completed each day. Taking care of all the animals was part of my chore list and usually took me a couple hours.

I was in the middle of cleaning out the horse stalls when I heard the telltale sounds of approaching vehicles. "Oh Nellie! I think that's them!" I heard the horse who was tied up outside the stall so I could muck it, one of my least favorite jobs. She pranced around nervously which is where she got her nickname of "Nervous Nellie" but she was a smart horse despite her nervous tendencies. Propping my pitch fork against the edge of the stall I headed for the entrance of the barn to see who was approaching our farm. Visitors was rare before the turn but now it was even rarer, as in never happened since Jimmy's parents had showed up a few weeks after the turn. My eyebrows shot up into my hairline at the sight that greeted my eyes. Three trucks with flatbed trailers that we used to haul huge round bales of hay on, two huge box trucks, a van, and a large SUV were pulling into the driveway slowly. And leading them all was Daryl on a motorcycle. "Oh Nellie, I think our work just quadrupled girl." I mumbled to her as I headed for the motorcade that was pulling to a stop all along our long driveway.

Still nervous from the last group of dead that had come through the farm I refrained from yelling out Maggie's name as my eyes flittered from person to person as the climbed from the vehicles. My eyebrows went up to my hairline as I spotted a few people that I didn't recognize as being part of the group that had originally left here a few days ago. "Beth!" I heard Maggie call out as she raced around one of the trailers that was loaded down with all sorts of things we could use to build our fences.

"Oh Maggie!" I cried as I began racing towards her with my arms open wide. We collided in a tangle of arms and legs that took us to the ground as we embraced and laughed. "I was so worried about you."

She pulled away from me as she swept dirt, grass, and hair from my face. "We got so much stuff, Bethie, we're going to be okay here." Maggie said excitedly as she flopped back on the grass next to me. "And we got some good people too. We ran into them our first day out and they've spent the last few days helping us gather supplies." She said softly as we lay there staring up at the sky.

"Maggie…"I hedged because while I was nervous about the mention of newcomers our Dad was going to blow a gasket at the mention of more newcomers invading our home.

We raised up to a sitting position. "We couldn't have done all of this without them, Beth. It's the right thing to do. Rick and I talked it over and decided that we couldn't just leave them out there. They used to live north of Atlanta before the turn and ventured up North but it turned out to be a disaster so they came back this way with several others they met along the way. They said whatever we do, stay out of Virginia."

"Why?" I asked curiously as I watched Rick and my Dad approach the small group of newcomers that piled out of the van and SUV.

"Said there was a crazy man up there that carried a barbed wire covered bat and demanded people to work for him for the bare minimum to survive. If you disobeyed or he thought you disobeyed then he would use the bat to deliver punishment or cut off a limb to prove his point." Maggie explained with a shake of her head. It was almost unbelievable but Momma and Daddy had warned me that without laws being enforced people's true colors would come out.

I watched curiously as my Daddy shook the hands of the nine newcomers. "That's almost too crazy to be believable." I muttered as I climbed to my feet. "Where's Jimmy?" I asked as I looked around but didn't see him.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't know what it means that it took a reader so long to let me know that the formatting was messed up with Chapter 2 but either way it's fixed now. Enjoy.**

Chapter 4

Tossing a shovel full of dirt onto the last of the two fresh graves caused fresh tears to pour down my cheeks. "Suck it up, little girl, death's a part a' us now." Daryl grumbled as he shoveled dirt steadily onto the graves to get them covered up before the sun set.

"That doesn't mean we can't feel our emotions, jackass." I told him through gritted teeth as I felt anger course through my veins.

He simply grunted at me in return to my comment which just further pissed me off. "It's not my fault you are an emotionless prick. He was my boyfriend and even though I didn't love him anymore doesn't mean I wanted him dead."

"He was a' arr'gant ass who thought he knew e'vrythang. Tha's what got 'im put in this grave. He just 'bout got us all killed." Daryl snapped at me as he jammed his shovel into the dirt, showing his frustration at our conversation. "Jus' like ya."

Throwing my shovel to the ground I whirled around to face the man with my hands on my hips. "I am nothing like that. I may be naïve because I haven't had to leave my home yet or fight off massive amounts of the dead but I'm far from being an arrogant little farm girl."

"You are such an arrogant jackass." I seethed as I shoved him in the chest causing him to stumble backwards a step before he gained his footing and brought himself chest to chest with me. I gasped as he glared down at me while I practically trembled in my cowboy boots. "I'm…" I started but a quick shake of his head had me snapping my mouth shut and swallowing loudly as I watched him cautiously.

He reached out grabbing both of my wrists in his. "Ya' best count ya'self lucky that I ain't lost my sense a' morals when things went ta' shit." He growled in my face before tightening his fingers slightly around my wrists before 'tossing' them aside. "Now, git ya' tight lil' ass back ta the farm." He growled before taking a deep breath and stepping back so he could pick his shovel up and resume covering Jimmy's grave.

Not wanting to chance my luck anymore I picked up my shovel and hightailed it back up the driveway to the house. "You okay, Bethie?" Maggie asked as she walked out of the house. She had been helping to unload all the supplies from the vehicles that wasn't being used for the fences.

"I'm fine. Need some help unloading?" I asked.

She shook her head. "If you could take an inventory of everything in the living room and help Patricia find a place for it then that would be great."

I nodded and headed inside the house while all of the newcomers carried things inside the house. Gradually throughout the evening they introduced themselves. Tara, who came from an apartment she shared with her family before they met a crazy man who led them all to their deaths except her. Sasha and Tyrese, who were brother and sister who had survived this long by hiding in a friends storm cellar until they had run out of food and water. Michonne, who had been by herself roaming from place to place since the death of her son and fiancée. Jesus who came from one of the three 'sanctuary communities' in Virginia but had left after the last round of killings. Aaron and Eric who had lived in one of the other 'sanctuary communities' but had fled with Jesus after their community was set on fire. Rosita and Abraham, who had been transporting a man who claimed to be the key to saving mankind up north until he admitted that it was all a ruse to get protection. They all met up one by one on the road as they travelled their way south with a destination of the coast.

~*~LUCKY~*~

With our total number of people on the farm now a staggering 22 people (23 soon enough once Lori's baby was born) our rations were definitely not going to last us through the winter. Our garden was going to have to be ten times the size next spring to feed all of us but the problem with that was we didn't have the seeds to make it happen. That and the fact that our butane was down to 20% brought on the conversation of another run just five weeks after the last run that resulted in our farm losing two people. True, the last run had been monstrumental for the longevity of our farm with fence material, solar panels for basic electricity, clothes, shoes, and medicines but those things wouldn't feed us or keep us warm when winter truly hit. "What about that old fort museum over in Langston?" Maggie asked as we sat around the dining room table after dinner discussing the need for another run.

"What good is a museum going to be for us? We don't need artifacts or things that are older than all of us combined." Andrea, the blonde that was angry that her lover had gotten killed getting supplies for us, asked angrily to the table.

I watched as Rick, Daryl, and my Dad shook their heads at her tone but Dale is the one that reached over to place a calming hand on her shoulder. Out of the nine newest members to the farm Sasha spoke up. "If it's the kind of museum I went to in school there may be some wood heaters and possibly an old wood burning cook stove there. _Those_ will be very useful for us if anybody around here knows how to use them." She said while her brother, Tyrese, placed a calming hand on her shoulder to prevent her from jumping across the table at Andrea. The wo women had butted heads more than once in the weeks since they came to live together on the farm.

Dale and Patricia both smiled broadly at the table but Patricia was the one that spoke up. "Those old wood burning cookstoves are big and heavy but if you can get one here I know how to use one. That's what I was raised on. Didn't have an electric or gas one until after I married Otis and moved out of my momma's house." She said smiling warmly at us all.

"That settles it then. We'll head for Langston day after tomorrow with a truck and trailer." Rick said with a nod of his head.

Just as everybody started getting up from the table I spoke up. "There's a plant nursery a few miles before the museum. We can probably get all the seeds we need there." I said softly.

Maggie looked over at me and smiled. "I forgot about that place. I'll be sure we stop by there on the way back."

I shook my head as I stood up. "No. I want to go so I get the right seeds. You won't know what to get. We need stuff that we can keep planted until late fall. That capability varies depending on the brands of seeds. Daddy or I need to go to get them."

"Absolutely not, Bethie." Daddy said sternly as he stood from the table placing his hands flat on the table. "You don't know the first thing about being outside the gates we've built. It's too dangerous."

Folding my arms across my chest I stood my ground without actually standing up. "Unlike Jimmy, I don't think I know everything and will listen to what everybody tells me. I won't venture off by myself at all. But I need to do this. I'm going."

"No you're not." My dad and Maggie both said at the same time causing me to raise my eyebrow at them.

This time I did stand up from my seat. "Maggie, as much as I love you, you're not my mother. Daddy, I'm sorry to defy you but I'm going."

"I forbid it." My dad said as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

Cocking my head to the side I looked at my dad head on and for the first time in my life done the rebellious teenager thing. "What are you going to do? Kick me out?" I said with a shake of my head. "I love you, Daddy, but I need to do this. I'm going and that's the end of the story." I said before I left the room and headed outside.

The last person on this farm found me just a short time later. Daryl. "Come on, lil girl, we got a lotta work ta do so ya daddy don' 'ave a heart attack when we leave in a few days." He grumbled as he walked past me and out the other open doors.

"Wait! Daryl!" I called out as I ran after him. "What do you mean a few days?" I called out loudly. Old habits dying hard.

I had barely made it two steps out the barn doors when a hand clamped over my mouth from behind and another banding tightly around my waist. "Damn girl, stop all tha' hollerin'." He growled into my ear as he held me tightly against his chest. "Fight." He breathed in my ear as he slid the hand from my mouth to clamp around my throat.

On instinct I let my weight drop catching him off guard as I brought my hands up to claw at the arm clamped around my throat. "Let me go, you jackass." I growled as I wiggled against his frame as I dug my nails into his hand.

"It's no' jus' walkers ya gotta be 'fraid of out there." He warned me as he lifted me up off my feet causing me to squeal in surprise. "Got ta' be smart or yur' jus' an'ther dead girl."

He finally set me on my feet and released me. I whirled around with my hands on my hips. "I ain't just another dead girl, you jackass. Now teach me what I got to know so I can come back to my farm." I seethed angrily.

The trip got postponed for three days so that I could get as much training in as possible before my first time off the farm since the change. Daryl even went as far as collecting some walkers from the woods so one could 'get after me' naturally. Of course, with Michonne's instructions and katana they chopped off the lower jaws so they couldn't bite me. "She's gotta learn." I heard Rick argue as they leaned against the fence while Daryl showed me how to take down a walker without getting bit.

"It's so gross." I complained as I took a deep breath and attempted to kick the knee of the walker as it came after me.

"Stop." Daryl growled as he yanked me back by the waist of my jeans. "Stop lookin' at 'em like ya know 'em and jist kill 'em." He told me as he let me go.

Without thinking about it I kicked the walkers knee causing it to fall to the ground while I slammed my knife into it's forehead. Before I could celebrate another one grabbed me from behind smearing walker blood all over my hair and shoulder from it's missing jaw. "Ugh." I groaned as I shoved it off and slid my knife through its eye socket.

"Dead." Daryl said with a shake of his head.

Smoothing my hair out of my face I tied it back with a ponytail before growling in Daryl's direction. "Let's do it again. I'm not ready to die yet."

Daryl smirked at me as he waved to Michonne to let the last three walkers go. Using what Daryl had been teaching me the past two days I took down all three walkers without getting 'bit'. "Lucky." Daryl said as he walked off while everybody else clapped and cheered at my 'performance'.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Five days after the trip had been originally planned for I left the farm for the first time since things had changed. "If we run upon some people, don't trust them automatically." Michonne said as she sat next to me looking out the window as we headed down the road from the farm.

"Okay." I told her as I nodded in understanding but really my mind was spinning with everything I had learned the past few days with my training. "It's crazy that we have to worry about both dead and alive people." I mumbled from my spot between Michonne and Sasha. We had taken two trucks, one with a trailer and one without, and Daryl on his motorcycle. In the first truck was Glenn, Maggie, Aaron, T-Dogg, and Andrea. In the second truck was Rick, Jesus, Michonne, Sasha, and me.

Michonne nodded in agreement. "The living are more dangerous than the dead. You'll be okay though, don't you worry." She said as she reached over squeezing my hand gently.

The trip to Langston normally only took 40 minutes or so but it took us almost two and a half hours according to the clock on the dash of the truck. "That's the nursery." I pointed out to the occupants of the truck as we drove past it.

"It looks almost untouched." Rick commented from the front seat. "That's a good thing. Means it ain't been looted yet."

I rolled my eyes at his comment. "Who would think to loot a plant nursery?" I asked with a chuckle.

"You." Michonne deadpanned from her spot next to me.

That shut me up real quick.

When we got to the fort museum gate we encountered massive chains holding the gates shut. "This could be bad." Sasha said from the other side of me.

"Yeah it could." Rick agreed as he put the truck in park and turned off the engine.

"They had this place closed for renovations a few months ago." I murmured from the backseat. All heads whipped to look at me with wide eyes. "One of the old buildings was falling in so they closed the whole place down to do some restorations." I explained further.

Rick motioned to the door with his head. "Let's take a look." He said as he climbed from the cab of the truck. A short time later it was deemed safe by Daryl and Michonne from the inside of the gates and the vehicles were pulled inside the gates.

"Stay wi' me." Daryl grumbled as he pulled my knife from my belt and handed it to me.

I narrowed my eyes at him but didn't say a single words as he stalked towards the first building. Once we got there he rapped his bow against the door. "I thought you cleared the whole place?" I whispered as we stood on the tiny porch of the old house.

"Jus' done a quick sweep." He whispered back before twisting the handle and opening the door. "Eyes open. Room by room." He ordered softly as he stepped across the threshold with me close on his heels.

Once all the buildings were cleared I followed Daryl to the rest of the group that was gathered at the first building. "Let's go building by building and grab whatever we can. Even though there are gates surrounding the place let's keep our eyes and ears open. Noise draws walkers in to test the strength of everything from fences to us. Let's go."

In the first building we found several boxes containing old blankets, dishes, cookware, utensils, and a variety of other things that we just loaded into the bed of one of the trucks. "Look Bethie, a guitar." Maggie exclaimed as she walked out of one of the side rooms.

I smiled brightly as I took it from her strumming my fingers across the strings lightly. "This is amazing. I didn't think I would ever get to play again." I told her as I headed for the truck with it, sticking it in the backseat.

We worked our way steadily through the house gathering up anything and everything we could possibly have a use for in the future. In one of the house we found an old hand woven bassinet that Rick kept eyeing as he stripped the blankets off the bed. "You want it?" I asked him as I nodded at the basket.

He nodded but never broke his stride in searching and finding useful things. By the time we reached the fourth building which according to the plaque on the front door was the 'kitchen house' we were all a little tired. "This old raggedy thing is what we risked our necks for?" Andrea commented as she stepped into the one room building.

"This thing is what's going to keep us fed this winter." I snapped at her, tired of her attitude already. She always found something snippy to say about everything we loaded into the trucks.

She rolled her eyes as she pointed at me. "That is if the old biddy can remember how to work it."

Maggie and I both lunged at her but were quickly grabbed by the men standing closest to us. "Don't" Daryl whispered into my ear as he pulled me to the back of the room. "Keep focused." He grunted as he let me go tentatively.

With a sigh I nodded but never turned to face him. I could hear and see Glenn and Maggie arguing as he practically hauled her outside away from Andrea who simply shrugged the moment off and began grabbing the things off the shelf closest to her. "Well it's true."

"Andrea, that's enough. We owe the Green family a lot and should be grateful they are letting us spend the winter with them." Rick said as he began checking the stove out.

It was massive and took all 5 men to get it out to the trailer and loaded up. While they grunted and groaned with the stove I began disassembling the piping that ran out the back wall and taking it to the truck too. By the time we had cleared all the buildings we were all tired and thirsty. "Here." I muttered to Daryl as I handed him the half full water bottle I had just finished drinking out of.

"Nah." He said with a shake of his head as he surveyed the area around us.

Rolling my eyes at him I shook it at him. "Just drink the damn water and stop being a jackass." I snapped at him.

He quirked an eyebrow at me but took the bottle anyways, chugging it back. "We done here?" Tyrese asked as he drained the bottle he and Sasha shared.

Everybody nodded and began loading back up into the trucks while Daryl climbed atop his motorcycle.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Go 'head." Daryl said as he motioned to the front door. Taking a deep breath I raised the hilt of my knife and pecked on the glass to alert anything living inside to our presence. Rick had explained that we always knocked on the windows or doors so we could see how many walkers were inside to take out. If it was too many then they usually just passed that place up and moved onto the next. Wiping a hand through the dust and grime on the glass I spotted a lonely walker ambling towards the door, excited about the noise.

Taking a closer look I recognized the walker as the owner of the store. "It's Mrs. Higgins." I muttered as I gripped my knife tightly in my hand before nodding at Daryl to open the door. But it wasn't Daryl that approached, it was Sasha. She smiled at me before kneeling before the door to pick the lock. "Do I even want to know where you picked that up at?" I whispered down to her.

She just shrugged her shoulders. "I lost my keys a lot as a kid."

"The back is all clear." Rick said as he came to join our small group as we waited for Sasha to pick the lock while Daryl kept a firm hand on the door holding it closed.

Michonne walked around from the other side of the building. "That sides clear."

"Doors unlocked." Sasha said as she stepped back, sliding her kit back into her pocket.

Daryl nudged me forward. "Knees firs'" he reminded me as he yanked the door open allowing the walker to come towards me. Just like I had been training for the past several days I kicked the knee of sweet old Mrs. Higgins causing her to fall to the floor where I quickly shoved my knife into her skull via her ear.

"Rest in peace." I whispered as I pulled my knife from her skull, wiping it across the back of her shirt.

T-Dogg grabbed Mrs. Higgins dead corpse and pulled her out of the store doorway so we all didn't have to walk over her on our way inside the building. Despite the thick layer of dust over the interior of the building it was virtually untouched. We spent several hours unloading the store of its contents before venturing to the storage building outback where we hit the motherload of supplies. Potting soil. Hay. Oats. Alfalfa seeds. Pots. Greenhouse kits. And all the seeds leftover from spring planting. And a high bed truck to haul it all in since ours were overflowing. "Who's driving?" I asked as we pinned the tailgate shut.

"I'll drive and you can ride." Maggie said with a bright smile because she knew how much these finds meant for our survival.

I nodded as I climbed into the passenger seat of the truck while the rest of the group loaded in the other trucks. "Are we heading home now?" I asked once Maggie got the truck cranked with the keys we had found in the store office.

Maggie shook her head. "No, we need to stop in Langston for some stuff. Since it's getting dark, we'll find somewhere to sleep for the night and scavenge the town tomorrow. With Lori now pregnant we need to stock up on any and all baby supplies and maternity supplies that we can. Without birth control the baby population is going to explode so it won't hurt to stock up on stuff."

"I never thought about it like that. At least I won't ever have to worry about that." I muttered sadly as we pulled out of the driveway following Rick back towards the small town of Langston.

"Bethie…" She whispered softly as she shifted gears on the truck.

I shook my head at her as I looked out the window of the truck. "It's okay, Maggie. Maybe it's for the best with the way the world is nowadays." When I had been just 14 years old a searing pain in my lower stomach had me screaming for my parents in the middle of the night. After several days in the hospital I had been told that my ovaries were covered in cysts and one had burst cutting off the blood supply to one of my ovaries meaning it would be near impossible for me to ever conceive children. "It's not like I have a wide selection of men to choose to be my baby daddy anyhow." I giggled as I thought about all the men not taken in our group.

"You never know, Bethie. Glenn is not someone I could've ever pictured myself with before the turn but now I can't imagine my life without him." She told me as we pulled to a stop a short distance from the town we were going to scavenge tomorrow.

Maggie backed our truck into the driveway of the neighboring house. "Why are we parking over here?" I asked curiously because I just figured we would park along the side of the road in front of the house we were most likely staying in tonight.

"Quick escape if necessary. We have a lot of equipment and supplies in these trucks and they are basically being left out in the open overnight. People may get curious and greedy and try to take our stuff and hurt us in the process." Maggie explained as she turned the truck off, pulling the keys from the ignition and sticking them under the front floor board. "Rick said never take the keys with you because you may not escape in the clothes the keys are in."

I shook my head at the absurdity of it all. "Is the world really that bad now, Maggie? It's only been six months since the dead started walking with us."

She shrugged. "I haven't seen it with my own eyes but last time I heard some stories that were too horrific and crazy to be made up. I'm going to take them at their word and not chance my safety or yours." Maggie explained as a sudden knock sounded on my window garnering my attention.

Daryl.

With a frown on his face.

"What?" I asked as I opened the door and climbed out of the car.

He raised an eyebrow at my tone. "Wanna be dead ta'night?" He growled.

Rolling my eyes at him I shook my head. "Of course not and why would I be?"

"Sittin' here like a damn bullseye." He growled before stalking off towards the house that Rick and the rest of the group were walking around checking the outside.

That night and the next morning I got my first true lesson of being on the road. Everybody took turns watching the trucks and house outside while the rest of the group napped in the living room. At the farm, Tyrese, Rick, Daryl, and T-Dogg took alternating nights patrolling the fences. But Sasha explained that they all took turns when out on the road because they never stayed in one place very long and had to be able to travel at a moments notice and travelling exhausted could result in being dead. Eating was another new experience. Daryl and Andrea had heated a few cans of food over a small fire they built in the fireplace and we all took turns taking bites from the cans before passing them to the next person. Scavenging was the last new experience. We scavenged the surrounding houses and vehicles for any supplies we thought we could use at the farm; clothes, food, blankets, mattresses that we strapped to the top of the trucks, pillows, and hygiene products. That was before we ever got into the actual town.

"We're going to need another vehicle." Rick said as he tied the last of four mattresses to the roof of the truck.

Daryl immediately nodded and headed for the garage of the house we spent the night in. I followed behind him curiously. "Is it always this easy to find stuff?" I asked as he walked through the door to the garage.

"No. We jus' got lucky." He muttered as he practically stomped to the SUV that was in the driveway.

The garage had been pilfered through before we ever came into the house yesterday but we had cleaned out the remainder of the tools and stuff Rick thought Dale may find useful so I just walked over to the dust covered shelf and began doodling in the dust. "Never pegged you as one to believe in something as fickle as luck." I whispered as I drew my name in the dust along with a heart and a butterfly.

"Why you care, lil' girl?" He snapped as he pilfered through the SUV, presumably searching for the keys that we hadn't been able to find in the house last night or this morning.

I turned around to glare at his form as he sat in the driver's seat, leaning over the console to dig through the glove compartment. "I'm just trying to make idle conversation. Why are you so grouchy and irritable all the time?"

He reared up the seat to return my glare. "Ma'be 'cause they ain't much to be happy 'bout these days." He growled as he climbed out of the vehicle walking to the back of it before walking back with a frown on his face and a set of keys in his hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I stood up straight at his frown.

With a shake of his head he climbed back in the driver's seat, sticking the keys in the ignition and turning them over to a clicking sound from beneath the hood. "Dammit." He growled as he popped the hood.

He barely had the lid lifted before he dropped it back into place, grabbed his crossbow and stalked out the garage door with a quick shake of his head at me telling me silently to stay put. Feeling my nerves reach a high point at his actions I began looking around for a place to hide that wouldn't be the most obvious. Screams from outside had me immediately diving into the first cabinet I saw, pulling the door shut as best I could around me.

I'm not sure how long I was in the cabinet with my heart pounding so hard I was afraid it could be heard through the cabinet door. "Oh, Miss Bethany Annette Green, where are you sweetheart?" came a sickeningly sweet voice that sent shivers up my spine because it wasn't one I recognized. I kept my mouth shut, biting my lip to keep all my sounds inside and my breathing controlled. "There's no need to hide from me, precious. One way or another I will see get to see that ass in those tight jeans before the day is over today." The voice called out as the sounds of his boots echoed around the room. "Plus, we've got all your friends out here waiting on your tight little ass to make an appearance. I believe one of them is your sister, right?"

My eyes widened but I knew my sister was strong and would want me to stay hidden as long as possible so I bit harder on my lip to keep from crying out as I heard Maggie scream from somewhere outside the garage.

"Do you not love your sister, little Bethany?" The sick voice asked again as his footsteps got closer to my hiding spot. "I'll take it easy on you, little Bethany, if you come on out and present yourself to me. I'll even stave my men off for a few nights until I get my fill of you." He taunted in a playful voice that caused my stomach to roll in distaste. Hearing this man taunt me from the garage while my family was held captive outside made me wish I was back on my farm, safe behind the walls we had spent hours and hours building.

Tears poured down my face silently as his footsteps got closer and closer to my cabinet before coming to a stop directly in front of it. I knew I had been found. "Come out, come out, little girl, wherever you are." He sang playfully as he opened and closed the cabinets above me. As silently as I could I pulled the sheath that tied to my belt loose, tucking it into the back of my jeans under my shirt, so that when he opened my cabinet doors I could at least hopefully injure him somehow once he pulled me out. "Do you like being called little girl? I heard the redneck call you that a couple of times since arriving yesterday."

Taking a calming breath I closed my eyes to prepare myself for the upcoming battle that was going to definitely end in a blood bath. Daryl's words from our training came back to me. _Always keep your eyes open._ I snapped my eyes wide open as I wiped the tears from my cheeks. _Stay Calm. Pay attention to what's around you._ I gave myself a mental pep talk and waited for my cabinet to open and the guy with the sickeningly sweet voice that made my stomach roll crouched in front of me with a sadistic smirk on his face. "There's my sweet little Bethany Annette Green." He whispered as he reached in to snatch my ankle, tugging me out of the cabinet by my foot. The man had a crazed look in his eye to match the sadistic smirk on his face. He looked fairly clean

I never cried out as I glanced around me quickly as he drug me across the garage floor to the door that Daryl and I had walked through a little bit ago. "You can repay me for my time wasted tonight, little girl." He taunted as he drug me through the doorway. I kept my eyes wide open the entire time, catching sight of my people lined up along the driveway with four people standing behind them with rifles pointed at them. Taking a look at the people I considered family now kneeling on the sidewalk I realized quickly that Michonne and T-Dogg were missing from the group. At the sight of my being dragged by my ankle across the rough concrete Maggie and Daryl both lurched to their feet before being hit in the back of the head by the idiots standing behind them. "I told your big sister that I would find you. Can you believe she doubted my abilities?"

Without saying a word I simply glared at him as I lay on the concrete in front of my family. With my eyes I tried to relay a message to my captor. _You're an idiot if you think you're getting out of this alive. My big sister is fiercely protective of me._

I'm not sure exactly how long I laid on the concrete at the feet of my captor as he taunted my sister and family with the vulgar and vile things he was going to do to me when he got me back to his camp but out of the blue one of the rifle wielding men standing behind my friends and family dropped from a bullet wound between his eyes. Michonne and T-Dogg must have gone to get the rest of our family. "Where the hell did that come from?" My captor, who wanted to be called Captain Dick, asked as he whirled around in a circle with wide eyes while his friends raised their rifles and began scanning the surrounding houses but I already knew our people wouldn't shoot from the same place twice. It was something Daryl and Rick had explained to me during my training. _Always keep moving so they can't find you._

While our captors were looking around trying to find where the shot had come from I pulled the knife from the waist of my jeans, gripping it tight in my hands. When the next shot came I took my chance, slicing my knife across the back of my captors knee sending him to the ground screaming in pain. "You bitch, you'll pay for this." He screamed as he grabbed me by my ponytail, yanking my head back as he held his gun to my temple. "Maybe I should blow your brains out for all of your family to see. Hmm? Maybe that's too easy." He whispered against my ear as he slammed the gun against the side of my face slicing my face open. He was mean but he had made a grave mistake. He underestimated me.

I was raised on a farm so guns were a thing of my life. My Daddy had taught me all about them when I had graduated kindergarten. He obviously hadn't been taught even the basics because the safety was in the on position and had been since he first wielded it in my face. After slicing his knee tendons I had slid my knife towards my family while he was distracted from the pain so it was only a matter of time before this awful situation was over. Another shot rang out, dropping a third guy leaving my injured captor and one of his friends standing while the rest were dead from gunshot wounds to the head.

His friend threw down his gun before backing away slowly with his hands held up. "I didn't want to do this. He's got my sisters and threatened to kill them if I didn't do as he told me." The guy rambled nervously. "Please don't kill me. I need to get them out of there." He continued to ramble.

Michonne finally made an appearance. She stepped from the woods at the side of the house with her katana in her hands and an angry look on her face. The friends stopped in his tracks, dropping to his knees as Captain Dick pulled on the trigger of the gun only for it to click loudly in the sudden silence. "You're an idiot." I told him, speaking for the first time since being dragged from the garage.

He let me go with wide eyes as I rolled away from him while Maggie picked up one of the rifles, sending a bullet buzzing past me and into Dick's skull. It was over. All over. Maggie pulled me into her arms with a sob while the rest of our family emerged from their hiding spots in the neighborhood.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hate to say this but...I'm feeling a little discouraged by the lack of reviews this story has gotten. Is the story that bad?**

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Chapter 6

"No." Andrea said with a shake of her head as we all sat around the floor of the house we had spent last night in. We were tossing the decision whether to help Kayden, the captor who had begged for his life and later our help to free his sisters from Dick's encampment, to a vote amongst all of us. The only ones not here to vote were Dale, my Daddy, Lori, Carl, and Patricia.

Leaning back against the couch arm beside where my sister and Glenn sat I looked around the room at the people who had seen me laying on the ground just a few hours ago being taunted and tested and couldn't help but feel ashamed that I had had to be rescued. "I vote yes. Just from the words Dick spewed at me I can only imagine what his sisters are going through. We have to save them. They don't have to come back to the farm with us but we have to get them out of there." I whispered as tears came unbidden to my eyes. Maggie placed a hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

"I agree with my sister. We have to get them out of there." Maggie said with a squeeze to my shoulder.

Glenn followed in our lead which seemed to get more people to agree. Out of the 17 people sitting around the room we ended up with 13 yes's and 4 no's. "If we all can't get on the same page we're not going to do this. Those of you that voted no please explain your reasoning." Rick said as he sat in one of the chairs he had pulled from the kitchen.

Andrea: "He helped hold all of us captive in the driveway taunting us and this could just be a ruse to get us back to his encampment so he can extract revenge on us for killing his friends."

"He showed us his license and the pictures of his sisters. They're just kids." I argued from my spot as I sat up straight. Have some compassion and think of someone other than yourself for a change." I snapped angrily at her.

She rolled her eyes at me before shrugging her shoulders. "I still stick with my original vote of no."

Tara: "While I feel for the little girls and what they're going through, we don't know anything about this camp except what Kayden has told us. If my experience up north taught me anything it's to not go in without all the information."

"That's a valid point, Tara. It is dangerous but with Captain Dick dead maybe we can talk this out with the remaining community dwellers. We'll talk more with Kayden tomorrow morning to see if there were more people like Dick or if he was the leader."

She nodded in agreement. That was another yes on our side.

Aaron: "It's dangerous and could backfire in ways you can't even imagine. So many of my friends got killed in retaliation. Trust me, while I fell sorry for what those girls most likely suffered at the hands of Dick and his friends, the repercussions of getting them out outweigh leaving them in there. I say we send Kayden back to his camp alone and if he gets his sisters out then he can find us later."

"How would he find us later?" Maggie asked softly. "Isn't it just as dangerous to tell him where our farm is as it is us for us to go in and suffer the repercussions? I would think that is even more dangerous."

He nodded back at her. "Maybe we tell him we will meet them back here in 30 days. That should give him enough time to get his sisters out and back here. Maybe we could even leave enough supplies here to last the four of them for a month."

"What if a month isn't long enough?" I asked because if things were rough back at Kayden's camp then maybe a month wouldn't be enough time to extract his sisters and get back to this particular house.

"We can set up some kind of timetable that allows us to come back every so often until they get here." Michonne suggested.

Eric: "I'm just going with my loves decision. We discussed our vote and agreed on it but the idea of setting this place up for Kayden and his sister until we can get back to collect them is a good plan. It protects us and gives him a safe place to run to with his sisters. I won't go into an unknown camp and fight because like Aaron said, we've lost so much already because of retaliation and I refuse to let either of us live through that again. If you decide to go to that camp then Aaron and I are in agreement that we will resume our journey to the beach for our own sanctuary."

"There's no need to do that, Eric." Rick said as he looked around the room at everybody. "Beth, would you be amenable to setting this place up for Kayden and his sisters until we can come back and get them?"

I looked up at Maggie who smiled at me and nodded slightly. "Yeah, can we send him back with a fueled up vehicle and extra weapons? Would that be too much?"

Rick smiled at me. "I think that parts a given, Beth. The ones that came from Virginia are rightfully cautious and we should heed their words and experiences. But, leaving three innocent girls defenseless in that camp doesn't set right with me either so using this house as a safe house so to speak will give the four of them a leg up in this hellish life we find ourselves living in these days."

"It does."

~*~LUCKY~*~

It was five days after leaving the farm before we pulled back up with all of our scavenging finds. I jumped out the still moving truck when I saw my daddy and Patricia coming down the porch steps. "Daddy!" I called out as I raced towards him.

They both wrapped me up in a group hug as I sobbed against my daddy's shoulder. "What happened, Bethie?" Patricia asked as she stroked the stitches Rosita had put into my cheek after our captors had been killed, except Kayden who was now on his way back to his camp to retrieve his sisters.

I shook my head because I really didn't want to rehash the awful experience of running into living people outside our gates. "It doesn't matter, it's over now." I muttered as I switched my hug to Patricia as Maggie approached behind us.

"She was strong and absolutely amazing when we ran into some trouble with a group of idiots." Maggie explained as she wrapped our Dad up into a tight hug. "My little sister was and is a badass."

I blushed at her words as I pulled away from Patricia. "Mrs. Higgins is gone but her store was untouched." I told Dad and Patricia because they had done regular business with the woman my entire life. That is where we got all of our seeds, feed, and supplies from because my Mom believed in helping local business owners instead of big corporations.

Both Dad and Patricia both shook their heads sadly. "That's unfortunate but this world isn't really meant for elderly people anymore." My dad said which caused Maggie and I to look at one another which caused both of them to laugh at us before guiding us to the vehicles to begin unloading them from the supplies we had scavenged. "Patricia rearranged the house while you guys were gone to accommodate everybody for the winter months."

Maggie and I both raised our eyes at that because when Rick and his group first came onto our property Dad was adamant that they wouldn't be staying much less staying in our house. "That's good. Especially since Lori's pregnant."

As we unloaded the vehicles Patricia showed me what she had done to the house. Our house had a massive add-on wing that we always kept the doors shut to because our family had always fit in the main house but my grandparents had been fortunate enough to have 10 kids which meant the extra rooms were needed. Dad's office had been turned into a bedroom with two twin beds in it. "I think Carol and Michonne will be okay in here even though it's kind of small they doesn't strike me as the type to need much space." Patricia explained as we stood in the doorway to the room that my Dad had spent so much time in managing both the farm and his veterinary practice.

"I'm sure they will appreciate it." I said with a nod as we headed down the hallway to the next room. Room by room she explained why she picked each room for that person or couple. "I'm certain all of them will love what you've done for them." I said as we headed back outside to help unload the remainder of the supplies.

Grabbing the bassinet that we had gotten from the Fort Museum I carried it over to Lori who busy taking inventory of the items that we had all stacked in the living room and dining room. "Lori." I called her name softly as I held up the bassinet.

When she raised her eyes to see why I had called her she gasped loudly before tears pooled in her eyes. "It's beautiful." She whispered as she made her way around the stacks of stuff towards me. "Thank you so much." She said as she placed a hand on her small baby bump.

I shook my head as I handed her the handheld straw basket that was in near perfect condition. "Rick is the one that thought to bring it back for you." I explained, embellishing a little bit on what actually happened.

She smiled sadly at me. "I doubt that but thank you for saying that anyways. This will come in handy once this one gets here."

"Want me to put it in your room?" I asked with a small smile on my face, my stitches kept me from smiling too broadly at the moment.

"My room? Not sure you can count a tent as an actual room." She said with a roll of her eyes and a chuckle.

Again, I shook my head. "You don't know? Patricia set all of you up with bedroom spaces since winter is almost here." I explained but she shook her head and stared at me with wide eyes. "Come. I'll show you." I told her as I took the basket and headed towards the kitchen and through the doorway off of it.

"She didn't have to do this, you know. We would have been fine outside. Daryl and Rick have set up tarps and stuff to help keep the wind out of the tents. We even discussed moving into the hayloft in the barn during the winter months." Lori rambled as she followed along behind me as I led her to the garage turned family bedroom.

She gasped when she stepped down into the space that still needed mattresses and personal touches but other than that it was set up for the small family. "Dad put the small wood heater in here to keep y'all warm during the winter months." I said pointing to the small potbelly wood stove that was exhausted out the exterior wall. "And we've got mattresses to put on the bed frame too." I said pointing to the old wooden frame that didn't need a box springs. "We set Carl up in the storage room at the back here, it's tiny but he'll at least have his own space." I explained pointing to the door that led to the cleaned out storage room.

"Where did you put everything that was stored in here at?" She asked as she walked over to the antique bedframe that used to be my great grandparents that we had stored in the attic.

I shrugged my shoulders because I really had no idea. "You'll have to ask Patricia those questions. You were here the entire time so how did you not know all of this was going on?" I asked curiously as I sat the baby bassinet down near the foot of the bed.

"I've been really sick the past few week so your dad told me to take it easy and just rest until I got to feeling better. I guess that was his way of keeping me out of the main house." She explained as we headed back to the living room.

Later that night after a light supper of a salad, fried squash, and cabbage soup I headed up the stairs towards my bedroom when I spotted a familiar figure sitting at the top of the stairs. "What are you doing up here?" I asked Daryl as I stopped a few steps down from him.

"Your pa and Patricia ga' me Shawn's ole room." He said softly as he stared at the treads of the stairs. I gasped as I stumbled back a few steps and almost slid off the stair I was standing on if it wasn't for the hand that quickly reached out grasping mine. "Careful." He muttered. "I'm not sleepin' up there." He whispered as I regained my balance.

I shook my head at his words. "Nonsense. He's not here anymore and has a perfectly good bed in his room."

"Still…" He said before trailing off with a shake of his head.

Taking a deep breath I stepped forward, placing my hands on either side of his face to tip his head back so he would look at me. "Take the room, Daryl. I was just surprised is all. Take the room." I whispered before releasing his face, stepping around him, and going to my room. I stepped into my room but before I shut my bedroom door I chanced a glance towards the stairs where Daryl sat with his fingertips against his cheek. With red cheeks I ducked behind my bedroom door and clicked it into place.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Over the next few weeks many changes took place around our farm house.

Everybody except Dale, Jesus, and T-Dogg moved into the actual house. Dale opted to stay in his camper while Jesus and T-Dogg set up tents in the hayloft of the barn despite our urgings that had the space inside the house.

The modern stove in the kitchen was replaced with the antique wood burning cook stove.

A wood burning heater was placed in the upstairs hallway to help keep it warm since running the central heat and air would take too much electricity and we only had a few panels to run the basics such as the refrigerator, the freezer, the hot water heater, and the well pumps.

All of our extra space around the house became impromptu bedrooms. Andrea and Tara slept in the living room space. Carol and Michonne took over Dad's study. Rosita and Abraham turned our old game room into their bedroom. Tyrese and Sasha turned the formal dining room into their own spaces. Eric and Aaron slept in the parlor just inside the front door.

The basement was officially stuffed to capacity with our supply storage while the attic was cleared out except for the two beds and two dressers we had set up just in case Kayden and his sisters came to the farm when it was time to go check the house. We still had four days until the thirty days we agreed on was upon us and we would have to leave the farm again.

"We might as well go on another run while we are checking the house for Kayden and his sisters." Rick said as we ate a breakfast of bacon and eggs. Dad had slaughtered one of the pigs a few weeks back which we stored in the freezer that now worked thanks to Glenn and Dale getting the solar panels up and running.

My Dad was immediately shaking his head. "We already have so much." He said firmly. "There is no need to be greedy when there are others out there trying to survive."

"There are things that are running dangerously low and eventually will be too hard to find. It's better to find it now and stock up on it." Rick argued as he leaned back in his chair.

I kept my comments to myself because after what happened last time I had no desire to go on another run so I tuned out the conversation around me. "We need survival books." Patricia said as she pushed her plate away.

"Why?" Andrea asked snootily. She was always questioning Patricia's motives and suggestions.

"Because eventually that canned food you want to depend on will become toxic in those metal cans. The medicine you depend on when you are sick or hurting will be so far past its expiration date it will no longer be able to do its job. Because the clothes you wear will wear out and unless you plan to go around naked we are going to need to figure out how to make some out of animal hides or the wool we shear each spring." Patricia paused for dramatic effect and to catch her breath. "Because I want my family to live a long happy life and learning how to survive off the land is essential to that."

I couldn't have been more proud of Patricia for standing up to Andrea for something as important as our futures. Biting my lip to hide my grin I leaned back in my chair to watch the normally very opinionated and snooty Andrea flounder under Patricia's steady gaze. Maggie was the one that broke the silence with her snickers. "Guess we're going to the library then. Beth, which library is most likely to still have the old card catalogue's?" Maggie asked me as she turned in her chair to look at me.

"Last time I was at the one in Denton it still had the old card catalogue but I'm almost certain they stopped adding to it years ago. It was mostly there to teach the little kids how things used to work before computers took over." I said softly, nervously. Andrea was a hateful person and I didn't want any of her nastiness to be turned on me.

Guess I said the wrong thing because Andrea huffed in annoyance, stood from the table tossing her cloth napkin onto her empty plate, and turned to look at me and my sister. "So we're going to put our lives into the hands of the little farm girl, huh? Not me, not this time." She seethed before stomping out of the house, the screen door slamming behind her.

Feeling my face flame from embarrassment I ducked my head, letting my ponytail slip forward, partially hiding my face. "Maybe the library's not such a good idea. What do I know?" I muttered as I scooted my chair back from the table. "Excuse me." I whispered before quickly escaping to the stairs and up to the roof where nobody except my sister, father, and Patricia knew to find me.


	7. Chapter 7

**I really HATE to resort to this level but...if I don't get a few reviews for this chapter I will discontinue writing it and delete it from the website. I'm not going to write something that you guys aren't enjoying. Please don't let me down.**

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Chapter 7

When the calendar landed on Day 29 people at the farm began preparing to make the trip back to the house outside of Langston with plans to scavenge the library for survival books before heading to the next small town to scavenge for supplies. "You're coming, right?" Maggie asked as I sat on the doorsteps of the porch.

I shook my head as I wrapped my arms around my knees while looking out at the group who was checking the vehicles for preparation of the trip. "No."

"Why not?" She asked as she sat beside me on the steps.

I simply looked at her like she was crazy. "After what happened last time, I don't think I'll ever leave this farm again."

"That is the exact reason why you need to go on this run with us. You can't be afraid to leave the farm, Beth. That's dangerous. That's how people end up dead." Maggie ranted while waving her hands around wildly.

I glared out at the group of people working on the vehicles until my gaze landed on Daryl Dixon who had his hands on his motorcycle but his gaze was dead set on me and Maggie. "I would rather be scared in here than dead out there." I muttered sullenly.

With a huff Maggie got up off the steps and made a beeline to Daryl where she ranted to him, her hands once again. I turned my attention from them to glance around the farm I had spent my entire childhood running wild on. The cows in the back pasture. The big barn and corrals in the middle of the pasture. The peach orchard. The chicken coop. The huge oak tree I fell out of when I was seven breaking my arm. The house my father, sister, and I was born and raised in. "Are you jus' another dead girl?" an angry voice barked at me, interrupting my perusal of our farm.

Looking up I saw Daryl standing in front of me wringing his hands in the red bandana he normally wore in his back pocket. "Do I look dead to you? And why do you care whether I'm dead or alive?"

"You're going. End o' story." He barked at me with a growl and a glare.

Shaking my head I stood up from the steps, stalking down to where he was standing. "I'm. Not. Going. End of story." I snapped before turning and walking away from him towards the barn without a backwards glance. When I opened the barn door Nellie immediately stuck her head out of her stall. "Hi girl." I whispered to her as I walked over to rub the end of her nose. "I wished we could go for a ride through the trees to feel free but it's too dangerous." I whispered to her softly. Before the world became the way it is I used to take Nellie out for runs through the woods to work out her excessive energy and to work out whatever menial problem I had at the moment. "There's nothing like feeling the breeze fly through my hair while I feel the power of your muscles between my legs as we run wild and free."

A groan from behind me had me whipping around so quickly I stumbled into Nellie's stall door. "What are you doing here, Daryl? Didn't you get the point that I'm not going? Or do you need me to spell it out for you?" I snapped irritably as I turned around to calm my antsy horse down.

"I ain't got a horse but I got a bike if ya' wanna ride." He grumbled from where he stood propped up against the barn door.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"Ya' ready?" Daryl asked as I gripped the sides of his angel wing vest and flannel shirt at his waist.

I couldn't help but be nervous of what was to come but I wasn't about to chicken out now. "Yeah. Let's go."

"Wrap ya' arms 'round me." He groused as he kicked the kickstand up on the bike while balancing it between his legs. "Hol' on tight." He growled tugging my fists from his sides until they wrapped around his waist. "Like tha'." He said before taking his hands from mine to start the engine of the motorcycle which made talking near impossible.

I was extremely nervous, squeezing Daryl's waist tightly, when we first took off but by the time we got off the gravel and onto a paved highway my grip had loosened and I was truly enjoying the wind blowing against my face. "This is amazing." I said against his ear as he dodged and weaved around random walkers in the road. I felt his grunt vibrate against my chest as it rested against his back. Riding on the back of Daryl's motorcycle was so much better than riding on Nellie's back. It allowed all of my anxiety and problems to just fly away with the wind as it flowed over my face and neck. Thankfully Maggie had the mind to braid my ponytail when she found out I was riding on the motorcycle with Daryl. We had picked Denton to scavenge before making our way back to Langston to see if Kayden and his sisters were there. "We're almost there." I said loudly against Daryl's ear.

He nodded as he slowed the motorcycle down and guided it to the side of the road. "Wave at them." He called back to me as he walked the motorcycle to a stop. I waved my hand out to the side as he had instructed me to do. The rest of the group pulled to a stop in the middle of the road while Daryl climbed off of the motorcycle. "Your legs are prolly gonna to be shaky when you first stand up." He warned me as he offered me a hand so I could hike my leg over the motorcycle.

Placing my hand in his I gripped his hand as I swung my leg over where he was previously seated before sliding both booted feet to the ground and putting my weight on them. "Oh!" I gasped as they trembled beneath my slight weight. I attempted to take a small step but ended up stumbling instead. Daryl caught me by my elbows, righting me back to a standing position.

"Take it easy. Lean on th' seat for a bit." He told me as he nodded towards our friends and family. "I'ma go talk to e'erbody."

I nodded as I leaned against the motorcycle shaking my legs out attempting to get the shakiness out of them. Looking down at me feet as I shook, twisted, and stomped my feet I failed to notice my audience that came in the form of my sister. "You okay, Bethie?"

Jerking my eyes up to hers I saw her and Carol standing there with smirks on their faces. "I'm fine, why do you ask?"

Carol smiled over at me from where she stood next to Maggie. "I have rode with Daryl before and I know how wild he can drive."

I shook my head at her. "The ride was fine but my legs are shaking from it." I said with a chuckle.

Maggie and Carol shared a look before looking back at me but we was interrupted before they could say whatever was obviously on the tips of their tongues. "Ya gonna ride wit' me into town?" Daryl asked as he nudged Carol in the shoulder, their typical greeting since Daryl wasn't one for general conversation.

With a nod I stood from the motorcycle on semi steady legs before looking at Daryl. "If you don't mind, I would like to. It's exhilarating."

"Don' care." He said as he walked over slinging his leg over the motorcycle, balancing it between his strong legs. "Hop on."

I threw my leg over the motorcycle with a groan while Carol and Maggie laughed while they headed back to their vehicles. "I think I'm going to pay horribly for this little adventure tonight." I mumbled as I got settled into my seat wrapping my arms around his waist tightly. "We're headed for the library first, right?"

He nodded as he fired up the engine. As he took off down the road I sighed heavily and laid my cheek against the sun warmed leather vest he wore over his long sleeve flannel shirt remembering the last time I traveled these roads. It was a family outing a few years ago to a huge auction that was happening in Denton. After being bored for hours I began bugging my momma for some ice cream and burgers before we began the trek back home. I was 14. If I could go back in time I think I would stand right next to my momma and just take in her smell that faded a little more as each day passed. Taking a deep breath I lifted my head up to take a look around and realized we almost to the edge of the town that was twice the size of Senoia, my hometown. "The start of the town is just around that curve." I told Daryl as I pointed to the curve in the road up ahead.

When he started slowing down I raised my arm up and waved at the vehicles behind us like Daryl had told me to do last time we stopped. I already knew that we were most likely going to be spending the night in this town somewhere tonight. This time I was prepared for the shakiness in my legs so I gingerly climbed from the bike shaking my legs as I did so. When I finally got the feeling back in my legs I took a deep breath and chanced a few steps. My legs were still shaky but I could walk into town with everybody with no problem. "Ya okay?" Daryl asked as he shouldered his crossbow he had attached to the front rack of his motorcycle when we left the farm earlier.

I nodded as I slid my knife sheath forward now that I wasn't riding on the back of a motorcycle. "I'm fine. Let's get going." I told him with a firm nod of my head.

"Stay alert." He growled before leading the way over to where our group was gathered. This run was expected to be bigger than the last one so there was more people with us, especially after what happened last time. This time around it was Maggie, Glenn, me, Daryl, Rick, Tyrese, Sasha, Michonne, Carol, Rosita, Abraham, Aaron, Jesus, and Tara.

As we walked through the woods to approach the town from a different direction than the main road in and out I felt my anxiety pick up. Daryl glanced back at me as he and Rick led the way through the woods. "I'm fine." I whispered as I chanced a glance at him.

He stopped all of a sudden and held a hand up halting everyone else in their tracks. "Ya breathin' is all wrong. Why?" He growled as he took a step towards me.

I raised an eyebrow at him in amazement. "You know how I breathe? I'm flattered that you've paid such close attention to me." I teased instead of just admitting that I was nervous after what happened last time. The jeans I wore today were skin tight as were most of my jeans except my pajamas but it's not as if I could go out and buy a whole new wardrobe and that is what Dick kept pointing out was how nice my ass looked in my tight jeans. I had stolen a big hoodie from the pile of clothes we had scavenged last time but I couldn't help but still fell nervous about walking into the unknown.

"Why?" He pressed again with a raised eyebrow.

With a heavy sigh I admitted to my defeat. "I'm nervous. Happy now?" I asked as I stomped away from him. Making my way towards the buildings I could barely see through the foliage I paid little attention to the unusually loud footsteps sounding behind me. I was mid-step over a fallen branch when a tight arm banded around my waist lifting me off my feet. "Daryl." I growled as his familiar scent reached my nose.

"Stop." He growled back as he sat me back on my feet. "Ya makin' too much noise wit' all that stompin'." He said with a shake of his head.

Huffing out in annoyance I placed my hands on my hips. "Why ya' care?"

"Jus' do." He growled at me as he looked around the woods at us. "Why ya nervous?"

Rolling my eyes at him I looked down and began kicking at the fallen leaves around us. "Is it really so farfetched that I would feel nervous after what happened last time?" He shook his head but otherwise remained silent. "You and Maggie basically badgered me into coming on this trip."

This time he rolled his eyes at my words.

"Oh ho! Daryl Dixon stooping so low as to rolling his eyes like a rebellious teenager? Thought I'd never see the day." I said with a teasing smile.

Again, he rolled his eyes before shaking his head. "Ya ready ta go now?" He asked while one side of his lips lifted in something resembling a smile or smirk.

I nodded. "Thanks." I whispered as we once again joined our family to resume the back way into town.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Once we broke into the library, thanks to Sasha's lock picking skills, we broke into groups to clear it. A short while later I followed Daryl back up the aisle with a smile on my face because Daryl had stood back and let me put down the two walkers we had encountered in the back reading area. "We need to find an old fashioned card catalogue." I said as we approached the rest of the group as we all converged back at the front entrance of the library.

"Already a step ahead of you, Bethie." Maggie said with a smile as she pointed to the massive desk along the far back wall. "It's in the office back there though it's probably out of date a good ten years or so."

I nodded. "I don't need an updated catalogue. We can find similar books to what we need and just search from there." I said with a smile. Libraries made me happy. I had spent a good amount of my childhood with my head either stuck in my journals or in a book. My momma and I had regular dates that consisted of going to the library before grabbing a milkshake on our way home.

"You always was the nerd of our family." Maggie said with a chuckle.

I simply shrugged my shoulders as I fiddled with my fingers nervously. "Well hopefully being a nerd will pay off now." Sasha quipped with a smile on her face. "How about we scavenge the surrounding buildings before settling back in here for the night?"

We all agreed on that plan fairly quickly. Unsurprisingly the surrounding buildings and houses had mostly been scavenged over but we kept our hopes high as we ventured farther and farther from the library. So far we had only encountered a stray walker here and there but no living people as of yet and nothing stood out as suspicious. "Eyes sharp. Weapons out." Rick said lowly as we rounded a corner and realized we had finally reached the main strip of the town. "Two to a building. Be quick but thorough." He said as he looked over each of us who had unintentionally paired off already. Me and Daryl. Glenn and Maggie. Rick and Michonne. Tyrese and Sasha. Rosita and Abraham. Aaron and Jesus. Tara and Carol.

"Can I pick which store we clear out?" I asked Daryl as we headed across the street together.

He shrugged and kept walking. I took that as all the incentive I needed so I sped up ahead of to peruse the stores on our side of the street until I spotted one that seemed promising. 'Apothecary Shoppe' seemed the most promising for the things we were needing to stock up on during this run. We could always come back at a later date for the clothes or shoes or furniture that was sure to be found in the second hand stores. "This one." I told Daryl as I came to a stop in front of the store window, seeing that the store looked mostly undisturbed.

He wrinkled his nose as he took in the store window that displayed the name. "Why? Ain't nothin' but a buncha hippie bullshit." He said with a shake of his head.

I shook my head and pointed at the store. "We may be able to find a whole assortment of herbs and spices as well as books about herbal remedies and natural medicines. Plus there should be hygiene products in here too. It could be a great find." I argued with him as I rapped the butt end of my knife against the window to bring any walkers inside to us unless trapped in a room.

When nobody came to the window after a few minutes I breathed a sigh of relief and tried the doorknob while Daryl pouted on the sidewalk. "You ready?" I asked him as I took a look around the street to see everybody else entering their shops or killing walkers they let out.

He grunted, held his crossbow up, and nodded. "I'll go first." He muttered as I swung the door inwards allowing it to bang against the wall of the store, the bell dinging above it as we stepped through the doorway.

I forced my eyes to pay attention to my surrounding as Daryl and I cleared the whole store before heading up the stairs to the living quarters up above. "Watch my back." Daryl grunted out quietly as he led the way up the stairs silently.

When he reached the landing I was right there with him as we walked through the open floorplan apartment that was covered in dust. Opening the bedroom we came to a startling stop just inside the doorway. On the bed was two people, their decomposing bodies making the room unbearable to stay in. The couple each had a hole in the side of their skulls but their hands were clasped tightly together, even in death. "At least they went out together." I muttered as I backed out of the room, shoving Daryl out of the way as I pulled the door shut behind us.

"We need to check their room for supplies." Daryl grunted out as the door clicked in place.

I shook my head at him. "No way. Anything in there will forever carry the stench of death and we don't need anything that bad." I told him as I headed for the bathroom to scavenge for supplies. In the bathroom cabinet I found a tube of toothpaste, some used deodorant, a few disposable razors, and a tube of antibiotic ointment cream. Under the sink I found some toilet paper, cotton balls, a first aid kit, and some shaving cream. In the shower I found the usual shampoo, soap, and conditioner. Stuffing them all into my pack I headed into the kitchen where Daryl was rummaging through the cabinets. "Find anything good?" I asked him as I sat my pack on the floor next to the kitchen table.

He glared at me as he sat the three cans of food and big box of rice onto the table. "Not much. You?"

Shrugging my shoulders I grabbed the things off the table stuffing them into my pack along with my meager collection from the bathroom. "Not much. Downstairs?" I asked as I shouldered my pack once again.

He nodded but stopped to check the closet on our way towards the stairs. "Coats and boots." He said with a grunt towards the closet.

"We need those." I told him as I sat my pack down once again so I could add the items to it. "Maybe we should look for another bag or suitcase or something to help hold all the items we find downstairs. We're not leaving anything useful behind." I told him as I began folding and rolling the jackets as tightly as I could before using the small collection of rope Carol had given me earlier to tie them up. When he didn't move from his spot beside the closet I turned my eyes on him. "Can you go find some bags or suitcases?" I snapped at him as I yanked another jacket off the shelf.

With a grunt he took off towards the bedroom I had said we wouldn't need anything out of. A few minutes later he came back out with two massive suitcases with wheels and handles. "Here." He snapped before basically dumping them at my feet before going back into the bedroom.

I rolled my eyes at his retreating form as I added the assortment of shoes in the closet to my pack before looking at the top shelf for anything good. There was some photo albums and memory boxes up there but nothing that we could use. "You ready?" I asked as Daryl came out with two more bags that we could find a way to get back to the library and then back to the cars.

He nodded and led the way downstairs. Once down there I was blown away at all of the herbs stocked on the shelves both in the main room and in the store room in the back. "This is amazing." I told Daryl as I looked through the books I had found on the bookshelf in the main area. These were the types of books that Patricia had been talking about. "All of these herbs can take place of our modern medicine. We need them all along with the seeds so we can plant our own." I told Daryl as I closed the books to put them in my pack. Once my hands were free I opened the largest suitcase onto the table in the middle of the storerooms and began placing the containers in it carefully so that I could make the most of the room I had. Daryl and I quickly formed a routine and made quick work of the storeroom and the main room before heading back out to the sidewalk with our massive haul. We saw the others coming out of the stores they chose with full packs and extra bags they had found which caused some concern for me. "I wonder why this town was missed by others." I mused as we drug our bag laden suitcases towards the corner that led to back to the library. We knew that the group Kayden was with was somewhere in the area so it was strange that this town was basically missed by them and any others that was out there.

"Don't know. Keep your eyes open though." Daryl growled as he walked beside me.


	8. Chapter 8

**You guys are absolutely amazing! Let's keep the reviews coming...after you read this amazing chapter!**

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Chapter 8

"How many books we need?" Daryl growled as he stuffed yet another one into our packs. He had offered to go help me gather all the survival books while everybody else took a quick break.

Rolling my eyes at him I pulled the next few off the shelf. "All of them. It doesn't hurt to have them but it may hurt us to not have them." I told him as I handed him the three books I had just pulled down.

"We was doin' okay without 'em." He groused as he stuffed the books in before snapping his full pack closed.

Pulling the last ones down into my arms I forced them into the top of my pack before turning to face Daryl with my hands on my hips. "No, you were simply surviving without them but with them maybe we can start living again. With these books we can do more than just survive, Daryl. Don't you want that?"

He shrugged his shoulders before snatching his pack off the ground. "Survivin's all I ever known. Any others ya' need?" He snapped as he headed back down the aisle.

I had already told Maggie to grab us some leisure books to read but to keep Daryl's level of grumpiness manageable I decided to keep that little bit of information to myself. So I simply told him "No" and led the way back to our group.

After we rejoined the group in the open space of the library comments about how strange it was that we hadn't ran into very many walkers but had amassed such a huge scavenging haul began circulating throughout our group. "It's kind of strange that a town of this size hasn't been picked over or overrun with walkers roaming the streets. I mean we literally walked into center circle with only a handful of walkers coming at us and a few more in the buildings." Carol said with a shake of her head as she stood next to Daryl at the glass doors looking out over the parking lot.

"Maybe most of the residents left with the army and police during evacuation like our town did. When my Dad made a stand refusing to leave his home a few of the neighboring farms followed suit but most of the residents left with the army and haven't been seen since." Maggie explained softly with a shake of her head. "We made regular checkup visits in the first month but one by one each farm or home was overrun by the dead until we were the only ones left. Maybe the same happened here."

Daryl grunted from his spot against the doors. "Light's fadin' so we should go if we're goin'."

Michonne spoke up from the chair she sat in with her katana laying across her lap. "We won't be as quick or agile as we were coming in with all the extra bags and supplies."

So with opinions being voiced we tossed it to a vote whether we leave now or wait it out until tomorrow. The majority vote was to leave immediately while the sun was still out.

We took the main road out of town because of our massive haul which had us all antsy because our backs were weighted down and our hands were full of our extra bags. It took us twice as long to reach our vehicles but I think we breathed a collective sigh of relief when we rounded the curve to see our vehicles still sitting where we had left them; just off the edge of the road in the grass. "Let's hurry." Rick said as he picked up his pace. With the suitcase on wheels along with the heavy pack on my back and the extra bag stacked on top of the suitcase my pace couldn't get much quicker but looking down the road I saw what the urgency was. Walkers. And a bunch of them.

"Crap." I muttered as began walking a little faster.

"Go." Daryl snapped as he grabbed the extra bag tossing it into my arms before picking up the suitcase so it wasn't dragging behind me anymore. He nodded at me before taking off in a jog towards our vehicles. "Come on." He growled at me.

Taking a deep breath I began jogging towards the vehicles where our group was already stuffing their bags into the trunks quickly. "Here." I wheezed at Carol as I tossed my bag into the trunk of the car before shucking the one on my back and racing towards Daryl who was already walking his motorcycle onto the cracked blacktop.

Without waiting for his permission I hopped on the back as he revved the engine. "Hold on tight." He growled as he took off down the road, in the opposite direction of the walkers. Which meant we were driving right into town. "Is there a 'nother way back to tha house?" He called back to me loudly.

We drove until the sun began setting when Daryl pulled over onto the side of a long deserted stretch of road. "Why are we stopping?" I asked when he killed the engine of the motorcycle.

"Too dangerous at night." He said with a shake of his head as he climbed off the bike. "Gonna camp here." He explained in a clipped tone as he walked off into the woods with his crossbow on his back.

I watched in amazement as the rest of the group arranged the vehicles in straight lines bumper to bumper on either side of the road. When Rick pulled a string of hubcaps and tin cans from the back of the van he was driving I was thoroughly confused. "What's that for?" I asked Rick as I walked over to him.

"Daryl calls it a redneck security system." He said with a chuckle. "We hang it between the rows of cars in case someone falls asleep while on watch."

"Oh, that makes sense. When someone bangs into it, it rattles, waking everyone up. Pretty ingenious." I said with a smile on my face. "Need help hanging them up?"

Rick nodded as he handed me one end of the rope. "Sure. Are you nervous about spending the night out on the open road?" He asked as he showed me where to tie the rope and what knot to use.

"Actually, I feel pretty safe with all of you because while I have never stayed outdoors since the turn it's obvious that y'all have. This is a learning experience that is necessary to go through in this new world we live in if I want to survive to grow old." I told him as I tied my end of the rope tightly with a smile on my face. "If something ever happens to the farm and I'm on my own at least now I know how to set up a simple alarm system."

Rick chuckled as he tested the strength of the rope. "Maybe you should talk to Carl about your outlook on this stuff."

"He's just a little boy who has seen way more than he should at his age. But personally, I think you and Lori are doing a great job with him." I told him as we began hanging the strand at the other end of the vehicles.

"Lori coddles him too much for my liking. Wants to keep him a little boy for as long as she can. But I keep telling her that it's going to get him killed if he doesn't know how to kill walkers or find food or hang a damn alarm system." He said with a shake of his head.

Sighing loudly I turned to face Rick. "I think that's just what mom's do because mine did the same thing to me, Jimmy, Maggie, and Shawn when this thing first happened. We'll all look out for each other but let him stay a little boy for as long as he can. It's a harsh world out here and while I do think he needs to learn basic survival skills like I am learning, I also think he deserves to play and have fun and let loose at times."

"Maybe we can find a compromise when we get back to the farm. And just to think, Lori's about to bring another one into this hellish world we live in." Rick grumbled.

I didn't know what to say to that so when our last string of metal was hung up I wandered over to where Abraham and Rosita were getting a fire going in an old tire rim so I spent the next little bit helping everybody get 'camp' set up until Maggie and Sasha approached me with grins on their faces. "Come on, Bethie."

"Where are we going?" I asked as I followed her and Sasha into the woods.

Maggie giggled while Sasha answered my question. "Little girls room." She said sending Maggie into further giggles.

Being raised on a farm meant that this wouldn't be my first foray into using the bathroom in the woods but it wasn't my most favorite thing in the world after a bad experience when Maggie, Shawn, and I camped in our woods when I was younger. "Great." I muttered sullenly as I followed after Maggie.

"Anyone care to explain why Maggie's in a fit of giggles and Beth looks like someone killed her puppy?" Sasha asked as we found a huge tree to use as our bathroom spot.

Since Maggie was still giggling and Sasha was looking for a story I waved for my sister to go first. "Shawn and Maggie took me camping when I was eight and I grabbed the wrong leaf to wipe with because Shawn intentionally left our toilet paper back at the house. Needless to say I grabbed poison ivy because nobody had told me what it looked like. It was so embarrassing then and it's still embarrassing now." I snapped at my sister as she came from around the tree while I took my turn.

~*~LUCKY~*~

I think I learned more after spending one night on the street than I had in the months of being on the farm. When the group was discussing watch turns over dinner I spoke up saying I needed to learn how to play my part so I ended up taking watch with Carol and Daryl. There were enough of us so that everybody only had to keep watch for an hour and the rest of the time could be spent sleeping. Or attempting to sleep anyways. Nights in Georgia this close to winter were cold, especially when sleeping on the hard cold asphalt. Rick had explained that we couldn't keep the fire going all night because it would attract unwanted attention so while I was supposed to be sleeping I lay on a thin jacket with my legs tucked up inside my hoodie shivering. I was never more grateful when the sun finally began making its appearance.

We had a quick breakfast of beef jerkey and stale cheerios that had been scavenged yesterday. I never thought I would say that I missed eggs but I really did. I missed everything about the farm. "You ridin' wit' me?" Daryl grumbled as we all rolled our 'beds' up and taking down our security systems.

I nodded at him as I stuffed the jacket I had slept on into the trunk of Carol's car. "Yeah, if you don't mind."

"I asked didn' I?" He snapped as he headed for his motorcycle.

Following after him I climbed on behind him without another word spoken. They had looked over the maps before breakfast to pick the best route to get us to the house in Langston.

It was a long way around but as Rick had explained, it avoided all the towns which was of utmost importance with the amount of supplies we had loaded in the vehicles. The sun was high in the sky as we walked through the woods towards the house Captain Dick had held all of us hostage and taunted me but was supposed to be a sanctuary for Kayden and his sisters we had only seen in pictures. "I don't see any smoke coming out the chimney." I whispered to Daryl as I walked behind him through the overgrown foliage.

"That would be like painting a target on their backs." Jesus said from beside me. I never thought of it like that.

When Daryl and Rick stopped in their tracks, we all fell to a stop behind them. "I'll go." Rick said as he stepped out of the cover of the woods towards the back of the house.

I held my breath until Kayden answered the knock to the back door while everybody else had their guns aimed at the back door while Daryl had his crossbow aimed in steady hands. I think we all relaxed a little bit more when Kayden was joined by three young girls but when the oldest one stepped out to hug Rick I couldn't help but gasp in shock. She was pregnant. Her bump that was very visible beneath her shirt indicated that she was several months pregnant. "Oh wow." I whispered as the rest of the women expelled similar sentiments. "Why didn't he say anything? Who is the father?" I asked as we watched Rick enter the house without waving us forward.

Daryl glared at me which got me to shut up immediately as he returned his gaze to the house. After several tense minutes of us waiting in the woods Rick opened the backdoor once again, waving us forward. Sasha and Rosita waved their guns at Daryl before disappearing into the woods indicating they were going to find a good sniper spot to keep watch on the house. "Let's go."

I walked between Daryl and Maggie as we edged towards the house where Rick was waiting at the backdoor. "We've got a bit of a situation." He said when we got within talking distance.

"No shit." I muttered as I stepped into the house that held only bad memories for me.

Maggie nudged me in the shoulder but nobody said anything as we all filed into living room we had spent. "She doesn't look much older than you, Bethie." Maggie muttered to me as we leaned against the wall while Kayden talked to Rick, Daryl, Abraham, and Tyrese.

I nodded but kept my comments to myself because honestly I didn't know what to say. Before the turn happened Jimmy and I had discussed if we was ready for sex but I hadn't felt like I was ready so he had agreed to wait. After the turn happened he felt like we needed to just get it out of the way before we ended up dead but I still hadn't felt the same way which wasn't what he wanted to hear at all. He died a virgin and I was alive but still a virgin too. I didn't even want to think about other possibilities of how this girl came to be so pregnant. Being a junior in high school meant that I had gone through sex ed classes which had explained rape, molestation, and everything else.

Eventually I tuned into the conversation that the guys were having with Kayden. "I swear I didn't know Baylee was pregnant. Dick has kept us separated from one another attempting to break the bond between us." Kayden explained before shaking his head with a chuckle. "We are close though so that bond can never be broken."

Daryl gave his typical grunt while Rick shook his head. "I can only hope my son will stick up for his baby sibling when situations call for it." Rick said softly.

"How did you leave your group? Were you followed? Is this a trap of some sort?" Abraham rabid fired the questions at not only Kayden but his sisters as well.

One of the little girls, I didn't know their names yet, spoke up as she jumped from her spot on the couch next to her other sister. "Bubba walked us out the front gate!" She said loudly causing us all to chuckle at her enthusiasm for leaving her old group.

"Thank you KiKi." Kayden said with a shake of his head.

The little girl, KiKi, sighed and took her seat again. "Well you did." She muttered as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Macey, that's enough." Baylee said with a shake of her head before turning to face our group. "I just want to say something real quick, if you all don't mind?" She asked tentatively. The girl, despite being several months pregnant, was beautiful. The four of them all favored in their looks. Hair so dark it was almost black, a gorgeous olive skin tone, and big brown eyes.

Our group, that had unintentionally positioned themselves by windows or doors around the room, began to nod at her question. "Go ahead." Rick confirmed with a small nod while Kayden smiled over at his sister.

I watched as Baylee took a deep breath and nodded to herself before placing a hand on her rounded stomach. "When the world ended I was just a naïve seventeen-year-old naïve high school senior with an older brother away at college, two little sisters that drove me crazy most days, and a loving set of parents. That all changed in an instant it seemed like. Within a week of the turn, my parents had turned into something I didn't recognize, and my brother was loading the three of us girls into my Dad's truck to leave the only home we had ever known." She said before swiping at her cheeks, wiping the tears away as more fell into their place, and continuing. "We drove for what seemed like forever until we ran into Dick who said he and his friends had taken over a gated community that could protect us from the living dead. That's when our nightmare truly began. Dick took a liking to me immediately and claimed me as his when we entered his gates."

"Baylee, you don't have to tell us all the gory details." Maggie said softly to the girl who was swiping uselessly at her cheeks.

She shook her head. "Thanks, but you need to know so hopefully you can trust us enough to bring us to your home."

Maggie nodded but otherwise remained silent which gave Baylee the floor once again. "Dick lived up to his name, he was dick. I had never been intimate with a guy before the turn and Dick liked that fact. I allowed him to use my body as much as he wanted because he kept eyeballing Macey and Kori who are only nine and thirteen years old. I never so much as wanted him to look in their direction so I offered him my body to protect them. He in turn offered me to his soldiers. This baby and my sisters purity are the only good things that came from living in Dick's camp. The people that remain in the community aren't dangerous. You all took out the ones that were dangerous when you took down Dick and his soldiers. Whether you believe it or not, my brother was with them simply to protect our little sisters like I was doing."

"Did you tell them about us?" Daryl growled in irritation.

Kayden and all three of his sisters shook their heads in unison. "No, we just told them that we couldn't stay there anymore and we were going to try it on our own for a change. We left with our clothes, a blanket each, and enough food for a week. I swear, the people remaining at the community aren't a danger to any of us. They are families simply trying to survive, which they can do now without Dick and his crew reigning terror over them."

Rick and Daryl looked to me and Maggie for consent to allow them onto our family farm. I nodded once while I held Daryl's gaze for a few moments. Maggie muttered a soft 'yeah' in response to their looks.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Pulling back onto the farm with loaded vehicles and four new people felt good. We were helping people and it felt amazing to be able to do so but if we kept going at this rate we were going to need to figure out a way to either build onto the existing house or build new structures. Maybe it was time to bring that to everyone's attention soon because in the next several months we were going to have two newborns in our house. But without birth control readily available we were going to be outnumbered by children soon enough. "This is home sweet home." Maggie joked to the three young girls in the backseat of the car she was driving in.

"How did you find this place?" Baylee asked as she looked at my childhood home but I guess it was huge by most standards but that was simply because it had been in our family for so many years and each generation had added on to the original house as they needed.

Turning around in my seat I looked at the three girls. "We were born here."

"Really?" The youngest of the girls, Emily, exclaimed as she sat forward in the seat. "I bet that was awesome!" She said as she leaned over her big sister to take a look around.

I chuckled at her. "It was. Maybe on the next run we can see about finding you girls a swing set or maybe the materials to build one. But always remember, work comes first." I told them as Maggie pulled to a stop.

As we climbed from the car the ones that had stayed home filtered out into the yard to greet us. Thankfully this time everybody who left had returned in one piece. "Hi Daddy. I would like to introduce you to the Wilkins clan. Kayden, Baylee, Macey, and Emily." I said calling out each of their names as I pointed to them in turn they all waved shyly at my father. Each of the ones that had stayed home stepped forward to shake their hands and introduce themselves.

After my dad had introduced himself to all four of our newcomers he guided me to the side by my elbow. "You okay, Bethie?" He asked me with a worried look on his face.

"I'm fine, Daddy. It was an amazing trip!" I gushed, still hyped up over the things we had found in Denton. "We found so much stuff that can really help us out. Books, too!" I exclaimed.

He chuckled as he placed a kiss on my cheek. "That's great, Bethie. Now, let's get this stuff unloaded so we can enjoy the delicious potato and corn chowder that Patricia and Lori has been making all day."

"Okay, Daddy."


	9. Chapter 9

**Things progress a little in this chapter as we are getting to the point where Beth and Daryl start becoming Bethyl. Just one lonely review of the last chapter for a grand total of 13 for the entire story so far...you guys are a tough crowd for my fragile writer's confidence.**

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Chapter 9

As winter settled fully into the area things slowed down at the farm since it was too cold to much of anything outside so we discussed expanding the farm's walls, current buildings, and garden areas. "If we take up too much of the space we have inside the walls then our gardens and livestock will suffer." I said as we sat around the living room discussing the plans. Again.

"What if we add them to the outside of the fence with another fence on the back of them?" Maggie suggested from where she sat between Glen's legs as he leaned back against the wall.

Abraham leaned forward from where he sat in one of the armchairs with Rosita perched on the arm of the chair. "Won't that be dangerous for them and safer for whoever stays in this house?" He argued.

"Not if we use the right materials for the outer fence and make it taller than the inner fences. From the outside it would just look like one layer of fencing." Maggie argued back with a shake of her head. "We have to do something. Soon enough we are going to have two newborns in this house and it's already crowded without adding two screaming babies to the mix." She said while shooting Lori and Baylee apologetic glances.

According to my Dad and Carol, Baylee was nearing the end of her pregnancy while Lori was in her sixth month.

Rosita leaned over to whisper in Abraham's ear which caused the usually unruffled man to blush and glance quickly at his girlfriend before facing us. "I agree it's getting awfully crowded in this house and the extra space while not taking away from the already fenced in area is a good idea. But I think we need to be cautious about who we put out there." He said before turning to look at Rosita who smiled down at him. "I nominate me and Rosita to take one of the houses."

We all laughed at them before continuing the conversation about how it would all work. By the end of the evening a rough sketch had been drawn out of how the 'rooms/houses' would go around the property and the talk began about making a run so we could do a bunch of the work while the weather was not scorching outside. "Where can we find all the lumber and supplies to build a second fence strong enough to protect the wall inhabitants?" Rick asked as he looked around the room at all of us as we were scattered amongst the furniture and floor. I watched as his eyes strayed to his wife briefly before moving on. Something was wrong in their marriage because they rarely spoke to one another unless it concerned Carl. Not anything like a loving couple who was expecting their second child.

"We've done raided the hardware store in town but maybe we can dismantle some of the houses surrounding our farm?" Maggie said as she smiled over her shoulder at her husband. "Or we can raid the lumber yards in the neighboring towns."

My Dad was the one that spoke up and put his foot down at the same time. "I don't want my girls out very far from this farm during the winter months because the weather is unpredictable and so are people trying to survive in it. Let's stick with scouring the neighboring farms. There are several on this road alone and if all else fails you are within a reasonable walking distance to the farm."

"Okay." Was the collective response around the room. "We'll start our search for building supplies tomorrow."

~*~LUCKY~*~

That night I escaped the chatter of the house and climbed to the roof once again to stare openly at the twinkling stars. It was peaceful, cold but peaceful, up here with no chatter in my ears and only God's creations all around me. Wrapping my blanket I had brought up with me around my shoulders I lay back against the rough shingles of the roof as my breath puffed out around me. A song flitted through my head that I hadn't heard in a while, since Maggie and Shawn were teenagers, and taking a calming breath I began to let my emotions out in the best way I knew how.

 _I used to think  
I had the answers to everything  
But now I know  
That life doesn't always  
Go my way, yeah  
Feels like I'm caught in the middle  
That's when I realize_

 _I'm not a girl  
Not yet a woman  
All I need is time  
A moment that is mine  
While I'm in between  
I'm not a girl_

 _There is no need to protect me  
It's time that I  
Learn to face up to this on my own  
I've seen so much more than you know now  
So don't tell me to shut my eyes_

 _I'm not a girl  
Not yet a woman  
All I need is time  
A moment that is mine  
While I'm in between  
I'm not a girl_

 _But if you look at me closely  
You will see it in my eyes  
This girl will always find  
Her way_

 _I'm not a girl don't tell me what to believe  
(Not yet a woman)  
I'm just tryin' to find the woman in me, yeah  
(All I need is time) all I need is time  
(A moment that is mine) that's mine  
While I'm in between_

 _I'm not a girl  
Not yet a woman  
All I need is time (is all I need)  
A moment that is mine  
While I'm in between_

 _I'm not a girl  
Oh  
Not yet a woman_

I let the final notes trail off in the gentle cool breeze that blew over the roof as I sighed heavily into my blanket. One of the things I wanted most these days was for people to accept me as an adult and valuable member of the team instead of the naïve teenager I was before the turn happened. Even now, nobody really listened to my ideas unless Maggie, Patricia, or my Dad stood up for me and spoke up. It was irritating and frustrating. When another breeze blew my way I caught a smell that was different that just the wind and knew immediately that I wasn't alone on the roof of my house. My hideout was officially being shared with someone else. "Who's up here?" I called softly without moving though my heart pounded in my chest.

"It's jus' me." Came Daryl's voice from across the pitch of the roof. "Was jus' smokin' 'fore bed."

Sitting up I looked in the direction I heard his voice come from and spotted him sitting on the pitch of the roof with only his outline and the glowing end of his cigarette visible in the darkness of the night. "I didn't know anybody else besides me and Maggie came up here." I told him as I wrapped the blanket tighter around me as I looked at the dark woods surrounding my home. Before electricity became a thing of the past I could sit up and see the twinkling lights of my neighbors and even the town lights off in the distance.

"Your Pa told me about it a few weeks ago. He don't like me smokin' in the house." Daryl grumbled.

I chuckled at the thought of my Daddy reprimanding Daryl for the bad habit of smoking. "Yeah, he chewed Shawn out good when he came home after his first year at college because he had picked up the habit of smoking to try and fit in with some guys at his school."

"It's a nasty habit. Smokes ain't easy to find now though." Daryl grunted. "Didn't know you sang."

Burying my face in my jacket I blushed despite his inability to see me in the dark of the night. "Yeah, just never for anybody. I used to sing in my church choir but stopped when I was thirteen." I said sadly as I remembered exactly why I had stopped singing in my church choir. It was just a few days after my thirteenth birthday when I had finally given into my momma's request to sing a solo at Sunday service for Mother's Day. My momma, Patricia, and I had spent the weekend before shopping in Atlanta for a brand-new dress and shoes for my solo performance. The morning of my performance my momma spent precious time curling my hair until it was just perfect while I practiced my song in front of my mirror with my brush while she worked diligently behind me. My performance was perfect and my momma and daddy cheered the loudest out of our entire church but once I returned to school the next day the kids at school began teasing me about my performance. Saying cruel things such as they wonder if my mouth was good for anything other than squawking like a cat being murdered, or if I had used a sexual favor for the preacher to overlook my horrible singing. It was so bad that the principle eventually called my mom to come and get me because I refused to come out of the bathroom to go to class. I had stayed at home, doing my work from my room, for nearly three weeks before my big brother came home and had a talk to some of the kids who had made disparaging remarks about me. After that I had returned to school but refused to sing for anyone since that day.

"Why?" Daryl asked as I heard him shuffling across the roof. "Ya sing good."

I shook my head as I watched him with wide eyes as he got closer to me. "That's a matter of opinion I suppose."

"Who's opinion matters these days besides your own?" He asked softly as he crossed the ridge to join me on my section of the roof.

Shrugging my shoulders I sat up, pulling my knees against my chest under my blanket so that I could wrap my arms around my knees. "Nobody's I guess. But the last time I sang for anyone other than the stars and woodland critters was that time when I was thirteen and it ended horribly."

Daryl settled a few feet away from me on my section of the roof but I could smell the hint of cigarette smoke even through the distance. There was something about Daryl that drew me to him and enraptured me but he was standoffish most of the time. "Sing another?" He asked softly as he mimicked my stance that was hidden beneath the blanket.

"You a secret Britney fan?" I teased him with a giggle that floated off with the wind.

He shook his head, sending his unruly hair flying around his face before he reached up to tuck it back behind his ears. "Nah, know any Journey?" He asked softly.

I grinned at him because Shawn learned to love the music of the 80's through our father. "How about 'Don't stop believin'?" I asked him with a bright smile on my face, almost giddy to be singing the song because it came with amazing memories of dance parties in the living room before bed.

"That'll work." He whispered as he looked out at the darkness surrounding our house. "That's all we can do now'days. Just keep believin'."

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves I looked over at Daryl to find him watching me intently. "I would've brought the guitar up here if I knew I was going to be doing a concert performance." I teased before shaking my arms out to shake off the last of my nerves before delving into the song lyrics, tapping the beat out with my feet against the shingles of the roof.

 _Just a small town girl  
Livin' in a lonely world  
She took the midnight train  
Goin' anywhere  
Just a city boy  
Born and raised in South Detroit  
He took the midnight train  
Goin' anywhere_

A singer in a smokey room  
The smell of wine and cheap perfume  
For a smile they can share the night  
It goes on and on, and on, and on

Strangers waiting  
Up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching  
In the night  
Streetlight people  
Livin' just to find emotion  
Hidin' somewhere in the night

Workin' hard to get my fill  
Everybody wants a thrill  
Payin' anything to roll the dice  
Just one more time  
Some will win  
Some will lose  
Some were born to sing the blues  
Oh, the movie never ends  
It goes on and on, and on, and on

Strangers waiting  
Up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching  
In the night  
Streetlight people  
Livin' just to find emotion  
Hidin' somewhere in the night

I hummed out the tune of the music to the best of my abilities while Daryl tapped the same tunes on his jeans since we didn't have any way to actually play or listen to music anymore these days.

 _Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people  
Don't stop believin'  
Hold on  
Streetlight people  
Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people_

"Thanks." Daryl grumbled as he stared at me through the darkness.

Nodding over at him I locked eyes with him, something connecting between the two of us. "Anytime."

He shook his head, breaking our eye contact, once again sending his long hair flying around his head. "My Ma liked that song before my Pa killed all the good out of 'er." He whispered to the darkness.

I gasped at his admission. "I'm so sorry." I whispered scooting a bit closer to him, just a few inches until his wide-eyed gaze snapped to mine at the noise.

"Don't be sorry. Don't need pity, 'specially from you." He ground out, once again capturing my gaze with his. "Not from you." He whispered as he reached a hand out towards me but paused halfway to my face before dropping back to the rooftop.

"Why?" I whispered as I turned to face him more, keeping our eyes locked but being mindful of my movement so that I didn't fall of the roof. "Why does my opinion matter so much?" I asked him softly as I reached over, tucking a stray strand of his hair behind his ear. When my fingers grazed over his ear his gasp was audible in the silence of the night.

His hand snapped up, grabbing mine in a tight grip. "Don't." He whispered hoarsely.

Twisting my wrist lightly, I broke free from his grip and brought my hand up to cup the side of his face. "Why?" I asked again as I placed my hand firmly against the stubble of his cheek. "My touch has never bothered you before. I've had my entire body wrapped around you when we ride the motorcycle together. Why does my opinion matter so much, Daryl?" I whispered as I brought my other hand up to brush more stray strands back behind his other ear, trailing my fingers along his scalp and ear as I tucked the strands away from his face. "You need a haircut." I whispered off topic.

"Don't know." He whispered as he reached his hand up to cup over mine as it rested against his cheek. "Just does."

Tilting my head to the side I looked at him through wide eyes. "I think you like me more than you are willing to admit, Daryl. I think I mean something to you." I whispered as I leaned forward suddenly, placing my lips against his cheek in a soft kiss. "Goodnight, Daryl." I whispered in his ear before pulling away.

I climbed down off the roof without another glance at Daryl and escaped to my bedroom where I shut the door behind me and got ready for bed. Once I was in my pajamas I lay in bed listening for Daryl's steps to go past my door and into the room next to mine but I fell asleep before I heard them.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Watching Daryl huff a breath of annoyance as his hair fell forward into his face once more caused me to smile because he had been refusing to let me cut his hair for the past several weeks by saying that we had more important things to worry about than me cutting his hair. "Want that haircut now?" I asked as I hefted my end of the load of lumber onto the trailer of the truck that Maggie and Glenn were driving today while Daryl and I rode on his motorcycle from place to place as we gathered the supplies needed for our farm additions.

"Nah." Daryl said as he shoved the small stack of lumber over until it was flush with the others. We were dismantling neighboring houses for lumber, insulation, windows, roofing, and doors. It was a tiring job but necessary for our plans to come to fruition.

Shaking my head I walked back over to the stack that the others were adding to as they tore down the Jacobson's house from the roof down. "You can borrow one of my hair ties if you need to since you refuse to cut it." I told him as I picked up another stack to repeat the process.

He glared at me but otherwise remained silent as we worked side by side. Once our stack of lumber was empty we started loading the windows and doors into the box truck so they wouldn't get broke. The plan for the new wall and home spaces between the two was that two spaces would connect by an interior wall with green spaces between each set of two with opening to the farm on the inside wall and none on the exterior wall. The walls facing the 'green spaces' would be full of windows and a single door to allow them to be aired out and allow in sunlight since electricity wasn't going to be possible in the rooms. The adjoining spaces would have a single door connecting them in case of an emergency. By our last count we were going to have enough space to add twelve rooms into the wall space with three windows on each green space wall with a grand total of thirty-six windows, eighteen doors, and so much lumber and roofing material that my head could spin.

When the sunlight began to fade we called it a day and headed back to the farm with our haul of the day. Once we turned down the driveway of the farm I gasped at the progress Abraham and the home base crew had made that day while we had been out gathering supplies. "They got the gate up!" I cheered from my spot on the back of Daryl's motorcycle. Nobody even questioned where I was riding when it came to leaving the farm since I rode on the back of Daryl's motorcycle, wrapped around his warm body, every time since that first time.

I felt more than heard Daryl's grunt as he drove through the open gates. Once the last of our convoy pulled through the gates they were shut behind us. "How's it look?" Rick asked as he ran towards us as I climbed off the back of the motorcycle.

"Looks amazing! I'm surprised you guys got it up today." I told him as I looked towards the house trying to spot my father who normally greeted us as soon as we came through the gate. "Where's Dad?" I asked Rick when I didn't spot my dad's white head of hair.

Rick pointed to the barn. "In the barn doing his best with a cow that's struggling to deliver her baby." He explained softly with a shake of his head. "I don't understand it but he's determined to save her."

"I'll go help him." I told him as I took off in a sprint towards the barn.

I found my Daddy in one of the stalls I had prepared a few days ago when a thunderstorm had kept us at home for the day. "She gonna make it?" I asked as I took in the laboring breaths of the momma cow.

"I hope so because if she don't then the calf won't either." He muttered from his spot at her hind legs with his arm shoved elbow deep into the poor cow. "The calf is turned backwards. We're going to have to deliver her. Go get the guys from the house. I'm going to need some help to pull it free." He told me as he pulled his arm out of the cow's nether regions with two tiny legs in his grip.

It wasn't a sight I had never seen before but it was vital for our livestock to reproduce and survive so we could have a sustainable food source on the farm. Now, I was frozen in place as I stared at the two tiny legs and panting mother. "Bethany! Go, now!" My dad called loudly, shocking me into action.

Sprinting towards the house I panted to each man I passed that my Dad needed help in the barn. I found Daryl out by the chicken coop taking a drag of his cigarette. "Come on, Dad needs help delivering a calf." I panted as I struggled to catch my breath.

Blowing his smoke away from me he pinched his cigarette out before shoving it into the worn package. "I don't know shit about deliverin' a cow." He complained as he followed me back to the barn.

"All you gotta do is help pull on the chains. The baby is turned backwards." I told him as we jogged towards the barn. "I could tell by the way the feet were turned when my Daddy pulled them out." I explained as we entered the barn just in time to see Abraham and Tyrese pulling on the chains that were connected to the calf's hind legs.

Daryl and I quickly assisted in the pulling and within minutes the calf was laying on the bloody straw not breathing. Racing around all of the guys I knelt beside my dad as he cleared the calf's nose and throat while I rubbed its chest roughly. "Give me some water." I called out to the crowd standing around us watching as we tried to get the calf to breathing while the momma cow staggered to her feet with the placenta still hanging out between her back legs. "Come on baby." I whispered to the calf as I rubbed his chest attempting to get it breathing while my Dad blew gently into it's nose. When a bottle of water was thrust in my face I twisted the cap off with my teeth before dripping some into the calf's ear with one hand.

When I felt the faint movement under my hand I smiled brightly. "She's breathing." I whispered to my dad as tears sprang to my eyes. "She's breathing!" I called out as the calf's ear twitched just before it shook it's head to get rid of the water I had poured in its ear.

Once we got the calf and momma some fresh hay we all left the stall to let them bond together. "Come on." Daryl grunted at me as I walked out of the barn after watching the new momma and calf for a few minutes.

"Where we going?" I asked him as I trailed along behind him as he took off towards the house.

He glared at me but mumbled under his breath. "Need ya' to cut my hair."

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. "How short can I cut it?" I asked cheerfully as I sped up to fall into step beside him.

"Not shavin' my damn head." He growled at me.

The gasp escaped me at the thought of all that glorious hair gone. "I would never. Maybe just to the bottom of your ears." I told him as we approached the porch.

His nod of approval meant the world to me as I raced ahead of him to get the scissors from the kitchen. "Don't gotta be so damn excited." He grumbled as he followed me into the house.

I grabbed the scissors from the kitchen drawer since Lori and Patricia normally cut hair on the back porch the scissors were kept close by. "What are you doing Bethie?" Patricia asked as she stood at the stove.

"Just gonna give my hair a quick trim." I told her as I paused to talk to her so nobody would truly be onto what was going on.

"I can do it for you tomorrow, sweetheart." She said with a bright smile on her face.

Shaking my head I smiled at her. "I can do it, I'm really just trimming the edges. I noticed a few days ago that they were splitting." I told her as I headed for the stairs and the bathroom up there that all the upstairs occupants shared.

When I reached the upstairs landing I looked towards the closed bathroom door and saw the flickering glow of the candles we kept in there. Taking a deep breath I headed for the closed door where Daryl was most likely on the other side. Pausing outside the door I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before raising my hand to rap on the wood gently.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As Daryl opened the bathroom door we stood on either side of the doorframe just staring at each other for what seemed like the longest time but was realistically probably just a few seconds. This was going to change things between us. I could feel it deep in my gut.

"You ready?" I whispered to Daryl who stood with a tight grip on the bathroom door.

He grunted as he released his grip on the door and retreated into the bathroom. "No." He growled as he stood awkwardly by the vanity cabinet Daddy and Otis had put in a few years ago to replace the pedestal sink that used to be here. "Where ya' want me?" He asked as I shut and locked the bathroom door behind me as I stepped into the smallish space.

Pulling the chair away from the wall, where we normally stacked our clothes and towels, I placed it next to the bathtub so I could wash his hair first. We had a detachable shower head so I would be able to wash his head without flooding the entire bathroom. "Just bend over into bathtub so I can wash your hair first." I mumbled as I turned on the water to adjust the temperature.

"Never had anyone wash my hair 'fore." Daryl muttered as he bent over the edge of the bathtub in his ribbed tank and loose jeans with the holes in the knees. "Can ya' sing a song for me?" He whispered as I brought the shower spray towards his bent head.

"Old or new?" I asked him as I slowly wet his hair, running my fingers through the strands to make sure I got them all wet.

He shrugged his shoulders as I worked the spray over the entirety of his head, his long wet locks hanging down into the bathtub. "Don't care." He whispered softly as I laid the shower head down so I could work the shampoo through his locks.

With a smile on my face I leaned over him and began to softly sing a Lynard Skynard song that I liked.

 _Like a restless leave in the Autumn breeze_

 _Once I was a tumblin' weed_

 _Like a rollin' stone, cold and all alone_

 _Living for the day my train would come_

 _I never cared for school or any golden rules_

 _Papa used to always say I was a useless fool_

 _So I left my home to show them thay was wrong_

 _And headed out on the road singing my song_

 _Then one sunny day. the man, he looked my way_

 _And everything that I dreamed of, it was real_

 _Money, girls and cars; and big long cigars_

 _And I caught the first plane home so papa would see_

Pausing in the song lyrics I scratched my nails against Daryl's scalp as I worked the shampoo into his hair. He groaned beneath my ministrations and relaxed with his elbows resting on his bent knees. "You okay?" I asked softly as I worked my fingers through his locks before raking my nails against his scalp once again.

"Yeah and no." He muttered with a quick shake of his head. "Keep singin'." He growled lowly as I leaned against his side to reach the other side of his head.

With a smile on my face I rinsed my hands off before bringing the shower spray up to rinse the soap from his hair while I continued the song.

 _When I went home to show 'em they was wrong_

 _All that I found was two tombstones_

 _Somebody tell me please was I right or wrong_

 _Oh, such a sad song_

 _First I got lost, then I got found_

 _But the ones that I love are in the ground_

 _Papa I only wish you could see me now_

 _Take a listen papa_

 _Whoo, I learnt how to play my guitar_

 _Gonna be a superstar_

Once all the shampoo was rinsed from his hair I laid the shower spray down again to repeat the process with the conditioner. "I always loved it when my momma would wash my hair, it's so relaxing." I commented as I worked my fingers through his silky smooth locks.

"Ain't ever…" Daryl muttered before ending in a groan as I rubbed my fingers along the edges of his ears and over his scalp. "It's good though."

Smiling down at him, even though he couldn't see me, I continued my ministrations while I rinsed the conditioner from his hair and finished the song.

 _First I got lost, then I got found_

 _The ones I love are in the ground_

 _Wont you tell me please was I right or wrong_

 _If there's any way you can hear what I say_

 _Papa, I never meant to do you wrong_

 _All the money, girls and cars. and all the words and all the cigars_

 _Papa, I just want you to know they couldn't take your place_

 _When I went home to show 'em they was wrong_

 _All that I found was two tombstones_

 _Somebody tell me please was I right or wrong_

 _Oh, such a sad song_

 _First I got lost, then I got found_

 _But the ones that I love are in the ground_

 _Somebody tell me please was I right or wrong_

I turned the water off as my voice trailed off, the song coming to an end. Without speaking a word I grabbed a towel from the cabinet and worked it over his wet locks from behind. Once most of the water was mopped up by the towel I wrapped the towel loosely around his hair and placed my hands on his mostly bare shoulders. "Stand up." I whispered against his ear as I squeezed the warm muscles of his shoulders.

Daryl groaned as he stood up before turning to look at me with the towel perched precariously on top of his head making me bite my lip to hold in my laughter. "You think this is funny?" He growled at me as he placed his hands on his hips, causing his back to pop loudly. "Oh God." He moaned as his eyes slid shut and he twisted his chest side to side causing more pops to echo in the small room. "I'm not a youngin' like you." He growled as he tugged the towel from his hair and tossing it in my face while I stood there trying to fight my smile and laughter but failing miserably at it. "Ya gonna cut this shit today or naw?"

That snapped my attention back to the task at hand. "Yes, sit back down but you can straddle the chair and lean against the front of it if that will be easier on your old man body." I teased him as I pulled the chair the middle of the room while fingering the towel he had tossed at me.

He narrowed his eyes at me before sitting in the chair the correct way, leaning against the back of it as he faced the mirror above the vanity. "That smartass mouth a yours gonna gitcha in trouble one a these days."

"How so?" I asked as I ran my brush through his hair to get the tangles out and to part it down the middle so I could get it cut straight.

Instead of answering me verbally he chose to glare at me through the mirror as I brushed his hair gently.

Once I had his hair laying straight down onto his shoulders I swapped my brush for the scissors in my back pocket. "Ready?" I whispered as I stood next to him.

Daryl nodded slightly but I could see the tenseness in his shoulders and arms as they lay on his lap. "Yeah. Go for it."

Taking a deep breath I took a chunk of his hair between my fingers and slid my fingers down until they rested on his cheek just below his ear. "This good?" I whispered as I caught his gaze in the mirror.

"What you think?" He asked so lowly I almost didn't hear it.

I smiled at him and instead of answering him I slid my fingers a little lower before running the scissors over the strand letting the excess drop to the floor. "Maybe after I get your hair cut you can shave all this off your face."

He didn't respond as I worked my way around his hair until I was standing in front of him, between his legs checking the sides for evenness. "Ya don't like my scruff?" Daryl asked as he locked eyes with me as I bent down to get a level look with his hair.

Taking a chance I moved my free hand to his cheek to run my fingers along his 'scruff' so I could give my honest opinion. "It's kinda soft." I whispered as I kept my eyes locked with his. "Maybe just a trim on it too then?" I teased with a wink.

He grunted in agreement as his eyes slid from mine down my face and then back up to catch my gaze again. "That what u want?" He growled as he sat up straight in the chair, coming dangerously close to me.

With a gasp I stood up straight but remained in place between his knees with my hands on either side of his face and our gazes locked. I watched as the blue of his eyes darkened as something changed in them. "Why you care what I want?" I whispered softly as I slid my hand from his scruffy cheek down to his neck and into his hair at the base of his neck. "Why does my opinion matter so much?"

"Don't know." He whispered softly as his hands moved from his lap to lay lightly against my waist that was just mere inches from him. "Your Pa will feed me to tha' pigs." He growled just before he tugged me flush against his chest as he leaned back in the chair.

Clenching my hands in his hair I bent down to rest my forehead against his as my eyes slid shut at the feel of his hands sliding down to the outside of my thighs before tightening his grip. "Daryl…" I breathed softly as I felt him slide his hands back up to rest on my hips.

"Don't." He breathed raggedly as he shook his head against mine. "Just don't." He practically begged softly as his hands clenched and unclenched against my hips.

Tightening my grip in his hair I tugged his head back causing both our eyes to snap open. Fire blazing in gaze as he watched me intently. "Kiss me or stop." I ordered firmly but softly as I loosened my grip on his hair so he could make his move or I could.

He moved almost as if in slow motion. Leaning forward until his lips were just a scant centimeter from mine. "Trouble." He whispered just before placing his lips against mine softly. Just a meeting of lips, nothing more.

I groaned as I slid my fingers through his hair until they were placed on either side of head. "Daryl…" I muttered against his lips. This spurred him into action.

Within seconds he had me straddling his lap with his arms wrapped tightly around my waist with one hand splayed across my back and another tucked into the back pocket of my jeans. My arms wrapped around his shoulders as his mouth slanted against mine just before his tongue swiped across the seam of my lips.

I parted my lips with a gasp as I settled fully against his chest. When his tongue stroked gently into my mouth I returned the favor by sliding my tongue against his. He wrenched his head away from me with a groan. "Don't." He groaned as he flexed his hands against me. "Trouble."

Smiling down at his I slid my hands up to run the tips of my fingers against his bottom lip. "Not trouble. You should count yourself lucky that I like you." I whispered as I ran my fingers through the scruff coating his cheeks and jaw.

"Lucky, huh?" he whispered as he squeezed his hand against my bottom causing me to rock into his hardness just as a rapid knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"Beth! Beth! You in here?!" Kayden asked frantically from the other side of the closed and locked bathroom door. I quickly jumped from Daryl's lap to yank open the bathroom door. Before I could ask what was wrong Kayden took off down the hall and up the stairs at the end of the hall that led to the attic space he and his sisters occupied.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Wiping the tiny baby clean and making sure he was breathing was the job I was tasked with when we had all crowded into the attic space to make sure Baylee had as easy a delivery as possible. After Kayden had led me into the attic space and I saw Baylee laying on a bed crying and holding her stomach I reassured her it was going to be okay before I raced back down the stairs and into the kitchen where I rummaged through the herbal medicine books to find the herbs that would help with labor and delivery pains. "What's going on, Bethie?" Patricia asked as I rummaged through the oils and dried herbs we had gotten from Denton.

"Baylee's in labor." I said quickly as I grabbed some water, the herbs and oils I needed, and raced back up the stairs with my father, Carol, and Michonne close on my heels.

Watching Baylee go through the laboring process and the struggle of pushing her baby into the world made me second guess my desire to ever have a baby of my own. "It's all worth it in the end. I promise." Carol told me as she stood next to me while I wiped the tiny baby boy clean. "Being able to hold onto the life you created makes all the pain disappear."

I shook my head. "I don't know about that." I muttered as I placed a diaper on the squalling little boy before bundling him up in a warm blanket so Carol could take him to Baylee who was now resting against the headboard of her bed looking tired but excited to hold her little boy.

Once Carol placed the boy in her arms Baylee quickly undone all the work I had just done to secure the baby to check his toes, fingers, and private area. "What are you going to name him?" Michonne asked as she folded up all the soiled linens so we could get them washed and hung on the line as quickly as possible.

"Ian Charles." Baylee said with a smile as Carol helped her nurse her little boy for the first time. "Something good from something bad." She whispered as she held her tiny baby to her chest so he could get his first meal.

"It's beautiful." I whispered as I cleaned up my mess from cleaning the baby up. "Congratulations, Baylee." I told her as I grabbed one side of the sheet Michonne had bound the dirty laundry in and helped her carry it down the stairs. The sun was just starting to peak over the top of the trees when Michonne and I dropped our load into the laundry room. "This is going to be a long day." I muttered as I looked out the backdoor.

Michonne nodded in agreement. "It is but I think we should all stay close to the farm today since we have a newborn on our hands and they tend to make a lot of noise. Maybe we can all take a little time today to catch a short nap."

"That sounds heavenly. Maybe we can all pitch in on the second fence today or even start on adding the rooms in between." I suggested as we began sorting the laundry and getting the larger pieces into the washer since they would take the longest to dry on the clothesline since it was winter time in Georgia.

As we all gathered around the kitchen table I couldn't help but grin behind my hand as Carol complimented Daryl on his new haircut and trimmed beard. "Pookie, who gave you this new hairdo?" Carol teased as I sat between Maggie and my father.

Daryl glanced at me slyly through the shortened strands of his hair, his bright blue eyes catching mine. I watched as one corner of his lips lifted in a smirk before he turned to look at Carol. "Just got _lucky_ with a pair of scissors I found in the bathroom last night." He muttered before grabbing the bowl of eggs in front of him to scoop him some onto his plate.

After shoveling my meager breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, and canned peaches I stood from the table. "I'm gonna go rest my eyes for a short bit. Can someone please come wake me in a little bit?" I asked the rest of the occupants at the table.

I got several nods and one intense look from Daryl but I took that as an agreement to not let me sleep all day long so I rinsed my plate off before making my way upstairs. Once I was behind my closed bedroom door I stripped out of my jeans and into my flannel pajama bottoms before tugging my sweater and bra off and replacing them with a baggy t-shirt I had snagged from Shawn's room years ago. Then I tugged my curtains closed before crawling between the blankets of my twin bed I had slept in since I was just a toddler.

Some unknown time later I heard a pecking on my bedroom door before it opened and closed while I kept my head buried beneath my blankets, not wanting to come out of my comfortable spot just yet. "Come on, Trouble, time to get that pretty ass in gear." Daryl's voice sounded from the other side of my bed.

"I'm not trouble." I groaned from beneath my blankets, still not moving. "You are. Being in my room right now is just asking for trouble."

From my cocoon of blankets I heard the telltale click of my doorknob being locked. "How?" Daryl growled as I heard his boots thump across my floorboards before coming to a stop next to my bed. "I'm just doing Maggie's biddin' and comin' ta wake ya' ass up from ya' nap." He explained softly.

I groaned as I bravely scooted over in my bed, closer to the wall and further away from his tempting body that I could smell even from beneath my blankets. "I don't wanna get up." I complained grumpily, my nap hadn't been nearly long enough if you asked me. "And you can't make me. You can tell my sister I said try again later." I said irritably.

"Is that a dare?" He growled as I heard rustling behind me before two thumps sounded on my floor. "I'm good at dares, Trouble."

"Ugh, no Daryl. Just lemme sleep a few more hours." I groaned, burying my head into my pillow that smelled like the old strawberry shampoo I used to use faithfully.

When I felt the side of my bed dip down I flung the blankets off of my head and sat up straight as I glared at Daryl as he sat on the edge of my bed with what I would consider a grin plastered on his face. "Need ya up now." He told me as he settled both legs on top of my bed as he rested his back against my headboard. "Jus' didn't know I'd have to get in bed wit'ya ta git ya outta it." He said with a shake of his head.

I growled at him as I flopped back down onto my pillow, my arm thrown over my face. "You don't play fair, Daryl Dixon. Wakin' me from a good nap to go do manual labor. I just want an easy lazy day. Just one." I continued to grumble from beneath my bent arm.

"Gotta make a run, wanted my ridin' partner ta come along." He explained as he reached over to tug my arm off my face. "Rise 'n shine, Trouble."

Moving my arm I squinted up at him. "I'm not the troubly here, you are." I growled at him. "Does my daddy know you're laying here in my bed with me after having your way with me last night in the bathroom?" I teased with a grin as I reached up to tug on Daryl until he was laying on his side next to me in the bed.

"Girl, you'd know if I'd had my way wit' ya. Last night was just the beginnin'." He growled as he reached over to brush my hair off my face. "Ya always so grumpy in tha' mornin'?" He asked softly as his gaze flickered between my eyes and my lips.

I reached up to grasp his fingers as they trailed along the side of my face. "I've never been much of a morning person."

"Hmm." He hummed as he glanced down at my lips before looking back up to my eyes. "Gonna hafta fix that." He mumbled, leaning forward to take my bottom lip between his teeth. "Maybe this'll help." He growled against my lips before capturing them with his own.

Moving my lips against his own I rolled onto my side until I was flush against his hard body with my hands tangled in his chin length locks. "Mhmm." I moaned as I pulled my lips from his to smile up at him. "That could do the trick."

"Trouble." He muttered before pulling away from me and climbing from the bed. "Come on. Gotta make a run ta find some nails and stuff." He said as he tugged his boots back onto his feet.

Tossing my covers aside I climbed from the bed, my nightshirt hanging off one bare shoulder. "Let me get dressed and wash my face then I'll meet you outside." I said as I tugged open my dresser drawer to grab a pair of my jeans.

"Okay." He muttered as he pressed a kiss to the back of my head before leaving my room. I couldn't help but smile at the sweet side of Daryl Dixon I saw when we were alone. Normally he was a grumpy non-talkative man who seemed perpetually angry all the time but when we were alone he almost smiled and talked more than I ever heard him do and he was affectionate. Who knew?!

Giggling to myself I dressed in my warmest layers before stomping into my boots. Looking in the mirror I groaned at the redness that was on my cheeks from where Daryl's scruff had rubbed against my face when he kissed me. "Oh, how am I going to explain that." I asked myself as I quickly done my hair up into a french braid before tugging one of my beanies down over my head. "Oh well. That's as good as it's getting." I told my reflection as I left my bedroom for the bathroom so I could brush my teeth and splash some water on my face.

When I made it downstairs Maggie was leaning against the wall next to the stairs with a smirk on her face. "Well, little sister, seems you are agreeable to being woke up by the resident grump." She teased as she followed me into the kitchen for something to drink.

"No more than I like being woken up by anybody else." I told her as I took a small sip of water before heading for the front door.

"Mhmm." Maggie muttered as she let me past her.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Riding in a truck with Daryl was a whole new experience for both of us. "Can I drive back?" I asked Daryl as he drove us towards the edge of the town.

"Do ya even know how ta drive?" He asked as he glanced at me before returning his attention to the road. He thought I didn't see it but I caught the glimpse of a smile on his face before he turned to stare stoically out the front window of the truck we took from the farm.

Crossing my arms over my chest I turned in my seat to glare at him. "I was top in my driver's education class when school was still a thing. Thank you very much."

"No you're not drivin' us home." He grumbled with a shake of his head.

"Why not? It's not like there are other drivers on the road." I argued.

He shook his head firmly. "No. Not today."

My mood brightened considerably at his words because that just meant he wasn't going to let me drive today. Not ever. "Okay." I chirped as he pulled the truck to a stop a few blocks from the hardware store we came for.

Luck was on our side when we walked into town. The streets were clear, as they usually were in this part of Georgia. "Let's go. Eyes open." Daryl growled as we edged around the side of the building towards the hardware store where we hoped to find a good supply of nails and other supplies we needed to complete the room additions to the walls.

We crept along the sidewalk to the store I had visited frequently with my Dad. "Just ahead." I whispered as I glanced behind me to ensure that no walkers had caught onto our scent. "It's been cleared before." I told Daryl as he rapped gently on the front window of the store front.

He just looked at me before rapping again and waiting. "Don't matter." Daryl muttered before twisting the knob and pushing the door open. "Always check."

I nodded as I followed him into the mostly still full store. Most of the things in the store wasn't needed on a survival level so hardware stores aside from the axes and other sharp instruments were left intact. "Nails are this way." I told Daryl as I led the way through the store.

We found several unopened boxes of nails that we tossed into the basket Daryl had grabbed off the counter. "Hammers." Daryl grunted.

Pointing to the back wall I let him go off on his own as I ventured down the other aisles just perusing the leftover items to see if I found anything else we may need. I grabbed several skill saw blades off the counter just in case we needed them before making my way to the front register to wait on Daryl. While there I looked out the dust covered front window at the streets I used to walk down with my friends after school or with my family on the weekends or school breaks but now couldn't even step out onto without fearing for my life. "Ya ready?"

I nodded as I grabbed the basket from his hands so he could have both hands free for his bow. "We doin' anymore buildings?" I asked as he tugged open the door and glanced both ways down the main street.

"Ya need anything?" He asked as he stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"No. You?" I asked softly as I stepped out onto the sidewalk next to him, pulling the door to the hardware store shut behind me.

He glanced at me with a smirk on his face. "Cigarettes?" He asked hopefully.

Rolling my eyes at him I headed down the street to the general merchandise store. The cigarettes were sure to be super stale because even before the apocalypse nobody really bought the cigarettes from there due to the prices being so high. "There should be at least a few packs in the store somewhere." I told him as I stopped a few storefronts down the street rapping the butt of my knife against the window that held useless neon lights.

"Good. With you around I'm going to need a steady supply of them." He muttered from behind me as he reached around me to check the knob on the door. "Did anybody around here lock their doors before they left town?"

I shrugged as I stepped into the stale air of the general store. "It stinks in here." I muttered as I tugged my shirt up to cover my nose.

Daryl nudged my shoulder as he nodded towards the back of the store. "Let's clear it all first." I was agreeable to that because unlike the hardware store and pharmacy I wasn't sure if this place had been cleared before or not.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Stop!" I told Daryl as I spotted something furry walking in the tall grass of the ditches that lines the gravel road we were on a few miles from the farm. Once the truck was stopped I launched myself out of the truck and towards the fur ball I had caught a glimpse of as I gazed out the window as Daryl took us home. "It's a puppy." I called back to Daryl as I knelt down in the grass so as to not scare the puppy who was now staring at me with wide frightened eyes. "Come here baby." I called out to it softly as I tugged a piece of the granola bar I had found at the store earlier out to it in an attempt to coax it to me.

"It could be dangerous, Beth. It may be feral." Daryl growled from behind me. "But here. Try this." He told me as he tossed me a piece of meat from last nights dinner. "Hurry up." He snapped at me as he scanned the area around us for walkers.

I glared at him over my shoulder before snatching up the piece of meat from the grass near my knee. "Come on pup pup." I called softly as I wagged the piece of meat towards the puppy. It sniffed the air before easing a few more steps towards me before letting out a tiny little yelp.

"Great." He muttered sullenly as I continued attempting to coax the puppy towards me.

"Come on baby, it's okay." I whispered as I tore off a piece of the meat tossing it towards the puppy, poor thing gobbled it up so quickly I would have missed it if I had blinked. "That was good, huh? Are you hungry?" I continued talking to it as it inched closer and closer to my outstretched hand. When it finally began sniffing the meat in my hand I inched my hand closer and closer to my body until I grasped the terrified puppy by the back of it's neck causing it to yelp and squeal and thrash in my arms. "It's okay, calm down." I told the puppy as I pulled it to my chest in an attempt to soothe it as I stood up and turned to face the glowering Daryl. "I got it."

He grunted and grumbled as we climbed back into the truck with the puppy digging it's claws into my shoulder in its fright. "Trouble." Daryl snarked as he started the truck back down the road.

Lifting the puppy off my shoulder I took a look between its legs and was proud to say it was a girl. "You're not trouble are you, sweet girl?" I asked the puppy as I settled her in my lap with my arms cradling her trembling body.

"Not her, you." He snapped as glared over at me before taking off down the road slowly.

Feeling like having an immature moment I stuck my tongue out at Daryl.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Do that again and watch what happens." He deadpanned as he turned on the road that would lead to my house.

"I think that's an empty threat, Daryl." I taunted as I stuck my tongue out at him once again with an exaggerated eye roll for the cherry on top.

Slamming on the brakes so hard I had to brace myself against the dash he shoved the truck in park before turning to face me from his side of the truck. "Put Trouble in the floor." He growled deeply.

With wide eyes I pressed a kiss to the top of the fuzzy gray head of the puppy before placing her in the floorboard like Daryl had requested before turning to face the man in front of me. "I'm sor—" my words were cut short when Daryl leaned forward capturing my lips with his as his hands gripped my hips to tug me into his lap. "Mmm." I moaned as I slid my fingers into his hair, gripping tightly as he nipped and sucked at my lips.

He suddenly wrenched his lips from mine. "Don't stick ya tongue out at me again. Understand?" He growled as his hands clenched on my butt.

Tilting my head to the side I blinked innocently at him. "If it gets this reaction out of you, I will do it every chance I get." I teased with a bright grin.

I felt his hands flex on my jean clad bottom before a sudden stinging smack landed there firmly causing me to gasp and widen my eyes as my gaze was locked intensely to his. He repeated the gesture one more time before his palm settled on my butt, rubbing soothing strokes across the stinging flesh that was hidden beneath my jeans. "Now?" He growled as his hand flexed so that he grabbed my butt tightly in his grip.

Smiling down at him I nodded before slanting my lips across his. As Daryl slid his tongue across the seam of my lips Trouble yelped from the floorboard breaking us apart with mutual groans. "Damn dog." Daryl muttered as he let me go so that I could swoop the puppy up into my arms to soothe.

"She's just scared Daryl." I told him as I stuck my tongue out at him again with the puppy cuddled up under my chin.

He glared at me before putting the truck back in gear while I just giggled and cuddled the scared little puppy in my lap.

The last few miles back to the farm were spent in relative quietness with me whispering sweet things to the puppy who finally settled into my lap and stopped whimpering and whining. "What are we going to name her, Daryl? We found her so we should name her." I asked him as Abraham pulled the gates open at Daryl's honk of the horn.

"Trouble." He growled as he pulled slowly through the double gates.

Turning my gaze to him I smiled over the tiny puppy's head. "If I agree to call her trouble, are you going to find something else to call me?" His head snapped to me so fast that I thought his head would keep on spinning. "Find a new nickname for me and the puppy's name can be Trouble, okay? Though I will argue that I don't think she's going to be any trouble at all." I argued with a raised eyebrow.

He grumbled something I didn't quite catch as he pulled into the driveway and went about the process of turning the truck around to face the gates once again. "Fine." He growled as he slammed the truck into park roughly.

Just to be a brat I stuck my tongue out at him again before sprinting from the truck with a case of the giggles. "Bethie? What is that in your arms?" Maggie asked as she walked out of the farmhouse.

I proudly held up the tiny puppy to show her what I had found. "She was walking in the grass down the road a bit. Isn't she a cutie?" I asked Maggie in a high-pitched tone. "Daryl named her Trouble." I told her with a bright smile as I glanced over at Daryl who was busy digging through our packs to find the nails and hammers that were in the bottom of each bag.

"Why Trouble? She seems like a sweetheart." Maggie said as she took the tiny pup into her arms. "Really young, too." She commented as she looked her over much like I had on the drive here. "It's a miracle she's even alive with how skinny she is." She rattled as she looked rubbed a hand all over the pup's tiny little body. "Looks to be some kind of wolf mix."

"Her name is a really long story but I know I couldn't just leave her out there defenseless in this cruel world." I told her as I spotted our father walking our way shaking his head. "Here comes Daddy. Maybe he'll check her over and let us keep her." I whispered urgently.

Maggie smiled over at me with a wink of her eye. "You've always brought strays home, Bethie. This isn't anything new."

Smiling brightly at her I turned to face our father. "Daddy, look what I found on the side of the road." I chirped as I grabbed Maggie's elbow to turn her so he could see the puppy cuddled in her arms.

"That's a wolf, Beth. Not a puppy." Dad said with a shake of his head. "Wolves don't make great house pets." He told us with a raised eyebrow. "Their wild instinct never fully leaves them." He explained as he took the pup from Maggie.

"But Daddy, she was all alone and so tiny. I couldn't just her out there in there to be eaten." I explained as he checked the pup over while it squirmed in his grip. "I'll take over full responsibility for her, I promise."

He finally handed me the puppy back with a resigned sigh. "You've already named her, haven't you?"

I smiled brightly at him as I cuddled the fuzzy little girl against my neck. "Maybe. That mean we get to keep her, right?" I asked eagerly.

"Let's go get her some shots, some milk, and a bath first. Then, we'll give her a test run but you got to remember we have a newborn in the house with another one just a month or so away." He told me as he led the way back into the house. With him being a veterinarian before the turn it came as no surprise that he had puppy shots in the refrigerator.

Trouble tolerated getting her first ever shots relatively well, she only whimpered a little bit, but getting her first bath was a whole different ballgame. She stunk to high heaven and it was stated by both Patricia and my Dad that if she was staying in the house then she was to have a bath first. I filled the wash tub with warm water before placing the pup into it only to have it howl and scramble out of it, soaking both me and the porch in the process. "Come on, Trouble, you gotta get this stink off of you." I told her as I picked her up and put her back in the water.

She raised her little head and howled her dislike. "Shh. You're gonna get us in trouble." I whispered to her as I scratched the top of her head in an attempt to calm her down. It didn't work, she just howled louder. "Come on now, it can't be that bad." I told her as I picked her wet form up out of the water, pulling her against me to stop her howling. "Now look at you, I'm going to need a bath now too." I told her as I looked down at my soaked shirts and jeans. "But you are going to have to get soaped up and smelling better first. You might as well get used to this because it will be a semi-regular occurrence."

"Well ain't this a sight." Daryl quipped as he climbed the steps to the back porch. "Heard her howlin' all the way to the gate."

I glared at him from my kneeling position beside the rapidly cooling water that had yet to have soap added to it. "Yeah well she don't like baths." I snapped as I placed the now quiet pup back in the water only to have her immediately begin to howl. "See?" I told him as I looked over my shoulder at his smirking face. "You could help."

He grumbled as he squatted next to the tub. "Toldya she was trouble." He growled as he took hold of the pup to free my hands. "Hurry up."

By the time the pup had been soaped up and rinsed her howling had ceased but I could almost swear she was glaring at me from Daryl's loosened grip. "I think she hates me now." I muttered as I grabbed the towel from the chair, spreading it across my soaked lap, so I could dry her off. "Hold her up." I instructed. When he held the tiny pup up I squeezed the excess water from her body before taking her from Daryl's hands. "Can you get the bottle from the counter that Dad prepared for her?" I asked him as I wrapped Trouble up in the towel and my arms.

"Yeah."

~*~LUCKY~*~

"Where's Trouble?" I asked Patricia, who had offered to watch the pup while I had helped Baylee take a shower. She hadn't felt comfortable with Michonne or Carol helping her because of what was revealed when she removed all of her clothes in the bathroom. Scars. Dozens of them littered her entire upper body.

 _We had cried together as I helped her gently step over into the bathtub. "This is how he controlled you?" I asked gently as I squeezed her hand gently._

 _She nodded with a hiccupped sigh. "These were my punishment for not doing something correctly." She said with an angry shake of her head. "It's so stupid now that I look back at it. I should have just bitten his dick off or stabbed him in his sleep but I was so scared for my little sisters. He would burn me if I didn't move my hips just right during sex or if I smiled at the wrong guy at the wrong time. One time he slapped me so hard I lost the hearing in my ear for almost a week because I had gagged as he shoved his dick down my throat." She ranted angrily._

 _Not having a whole lot of experience with any kind of sexual activity I didn't really know what to say to her rant. "I'm so sorry but all men aren't like that." I told her because even though Daryl and I hadn't done much I never worried that he would do those horrific things to a woman. Maggie and Glen were pretty inseparable these days and I don't think she would put up with that kind of treatment from a man._

 _She shook her head. "No, they're not but I think I'm too damaged to ever be with another man other than my son."_

 _"You never know." I told her with a smile as I pulled the shower curtain closed to let her have some privacy._

 _I heard the water splash as she washed herself. She just needed a little help up and down the stairs and into the bathtub because she was still store after having given birth a few mornings ago. "Enough about me, tell me about you and Daryl."_

 _I gasped as I sat in the chair where Daryl and I had shared our first kiss a few nights ago. "What do you mean? There is no me and Daryl." I denied breathlessly._

 _"Oh yes there is. That man is completely smitten with you and you only have eyes for him. Just like your sister and Glen. And Eric and Aaron. Totally smitten." She giggled as her shadowy figure tipped her head backwards into the water spray._

 _With a groan I leaned my head back. "We just kissed for the first time the other night." I admitted softly. It was nice to have someone to gossip with that wasn't my sister or like a mom to me. Baylee and I were roughly the same age with me being just a few months older than her._

 _"How was it?" She asked._

 _"Breathtaking but Ian's sudden desire to join us interrupted us."_

 _It was her turn to gasp now. "Oh no. I'm so sorry."_

 _"No need to apologize. It was right after I had cut his hair." I explained softly. "Then it happened again yesterday when we went to town for nails and stuff. After we rescued Trouble."_

 _Baylee giggled as she pulled the shower curtain back to look at me. "That sounds interesting." She said with a wink before disappearing back behind the curtain._

 _"Oh it was. I stuck my tongue out at him and he reprimanded me with kisses." I giggled. "And a spanking." I muttered softly._

 _"Did you like it? Being spanked?" She asked nervously._

 _Leaning forward with my elbows resting on my bent knees I folded my hands under my chin. "Kind of. It can't be all bad can it?"_

 _"Not at all. There was a guy at the compound that I was loaned to on occasion that liked to spank me and it was okay. Dick killed him when he realized that Ian and I actually had feeling for one another. I think Ian is his son or at least I pray that he is." She whispered sadly from behind the shower curtain as she hung her head sadly. "He showed me that sex could be good and enjoyable. Even the kinky stuff."_

 _"Oh really? I've never done anything other than kissing…" I trailed off softly._

 _She giggled as she stuck her head out of the shower curtain once again. "I'm sure Daryl is a more than capable teacher of all things sexual. I can give you some pointers when it gets to that point between you two if you want me to."_

 _"I may just take you up on that offer if it gets to that point."_

 _"When not if." Baylee said as she shut the water off. "I'm done."_

Shaking my head I tuned back into the hear and now where Patricia was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry, where did you say Trouble was?" I asked her with a small smile on my face and a blush to my cheeks as I remembered the conversation Baylee and I had a little bit ago.

"Daryl came and got her when it came time for her bottle." Patricia said with a smile on her face. "Headed upstairs with her and the bottle."

Smiling brightly at her I nodded. "Okay. You need any help with supper?" I asked to be polite even though all I wanted to do was race upstairs to find Daryl and our pup.

Patricia took pity on me by shaking her head. "Don't think you would be too much help with your heads in the clouds but you better know that your Daddy plans on having a talk with Daryl sometime soon since things are changing between the two of you." She told me with a raised eyebrow.

"How?" I whispered with wide eyes.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "We've all got eyes Beth and I distinctly remember you asking to use the scissors to trim your own hair yet Daryl is the one that showed up the next morning with a trim. With so many people living in this house nothing is private for long but don't worry Glenn got the same talk a few weeks ago."

"Great. Just great." I muttered with a sad shake of my head. "I'm not a little girl anymore."

With a finger under my chin Patricia raised my face up until she could see my eyes. "Maybe not but you two girls will always be his little girls and he's just doing the fatherly thing. The age difference between you two is what concerns him the most because if the world was still normal you would still be in high school and Daryl would still be a grown man in his mid thirties."

"Yeah but momma and daddy had seventeen years between them." I argued pitifully.

Patricia nodded. "True but your momma had a little boy and a previous marriage behind her when she met your father. Plus she was in her twenties and a legal adult. He's not against you two just wants to make sure Daryl's not some kind of creep that likes to pray on young girls."

With a sigh I nodded in understanding. "Okay. Can I at least warn Daryl it's going to happen?"

"I'm not sure your Daddy would appreciate that but I'm also not sure Daryl would appreciate finding out that you knew beforehand. You make that decision on your own, Bethie. Go find that man and precious pup." She told me with a pat on the cheek. "Dinner will be in a little bit. Rations are getting low so we are having rabbit and cabbage stew."

I rolled my eyes at her words. "Yay." I muttered before heading up the stairs. More watery soup to fill the empty spot in our stomachs. I knew our rations were just going to get lower and lower until the garden started producing but the things we found on our supply runs helped supplement what we had in our root cellar and basement. I couldn't wait until it came time to prepare the ground for our new garden spots I had spent several hours helping Patricia, Carol, Maggie, and my Dad plan out. Next winter would be filled with our garden supplies.

Once I got to the landing at the top of the stairs I spotted the door that led to the small second story balcony cracked open. Taking a glance down the hall showed me that everything was the same as it usually was, all doors shut tightly except the bathroom door that remained open unless it was in use. Heading for the opened door I spotted Daryl sitting in the chair on the balcony with Trouble in his lap sucking greedily at the bottle he held in his hand. "Well ain't this a sight." I said throwing his words back at him from yesterday when he had wandered up to me giving Trouble her first bath.

He glared at me over his shoulder as he cradled the puppy and the bottle in his hands. "Don't." He growled.

Pulling the door shut behind me to give us a bit of privacy from the hallway I sat down in the other chair to look out over the land that had been my playground as a child and would now be the same for Ian, Emily, Macey, Carl, and Lori's upcoming baby. "My Dad's going to approach you some time tomorrow for a talk." I said quietly as I glanced at him to gauge his reaction to my statement.

He turned his head to look at me with his nervousness clearly visible in his baby blue eyes. "Why?"

I chuckled as I shook my head. "Because apparently we aren't being as sneaky as we thought and everybody knows that something is happening here." I told him bluntly.

"What's happenin' here?" He asked softly as he sat the now empty bottle on the floor next to his chair.

Shrugging my shoulders I turned my attention back to the expanse of land before us. "I don't know but my Dad wants to make sure you're not some kind of creep with a young girl fantasy to fulfill." The laugh that barked out of him caused my attention to jerk back to him and the squirming puppy in his lap. "Why is that funny?" I asked irritably.

"Cause I've had more offers for an easy lay since the world went ta shit than before. If all I wanted was a quick piece 'a ass I wouldn't be sittin' here wit' ya feedin' this damn dog." He growled at me while playing with Trouble in his lap, letting her playfully chew on his on his finger.

My eyes went wide at his admission. "Who?" I growled in irritation at someone making a pass at the man before me when he caused butterflies to dance in my stomach with just a single glance.

"Jealous?" He asked with a wink before replacing his fingers with a cut length of braided rope for Trouble to gnaw on since she was teething.

I gasped at his question. "Of course not cause it's my pants you're trying to get into, not theirs."

He smirked at me. "Is that right?"

Tilting my head to the side I returned his smirk. "Aren't you? Or are you just leading me on?"

"It's more than that." He growled as he sat Trouble on the porch to play with her piece of rope before patting his lap. "Come 'ere."

With a smile on my face I shook my head. "Not until you tell me who offered you an easy lay."

"Why does it matter?" He asked with a frown on his face as we stared at each other.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Need to know who my competition is." I admitted softly.

He stood up from his chair suddenly causing me to watch him curiously as he stepped around the playing pup to cross the porch until he stood directly in front of me. Grabbing my hands he tugged me from my seat and into his arms as his lips caught my gasp with his own. He twisted us around without breaking our joined lips as he sat down in my chair, tugging my legs to either side of his so that I straddled his lap with my hands twisted in his hair and his firmly grasping my backside. "No competition." He panted when we broke for the necessity of needing oxygen. "Only you."

"Good." I whispered huskily as I tightened my hold in his hair. "Why me?" I asked as I searched his face for something to help me understand how I was lucky enough to get this man's attention without even trying.

He shrugged. "Why me?" He asked, returning my question back to me.

"Why not you? You're a good man, Daryl Dixon. A jackass at times but still a good man." I whispered as I used my grip in his hair to force his head back so I could lean down to place a kiss against his bared throat. "You're so good to me, Daryl, even when I don't deserve it." I muttered as I placed random kisses along his throat and neck up to his ear where I nipped his earlobe. "Something has made you put up this grumpy front that you drop when it's just us. That means more to me than my words will do justice." I whispered against his ear.

"Lucky…" He groaned as my lips placed a kiss behind his ear before trailing along his jaw to his lips.

I smiled against his lips. "I like that one. It's better than Trouble."

He narrowed his eyes at me before tugging me forward until my chest was flush against his. "Kiss me. Now." He demanded with a deep growl that I felt vibrate against my chest. "Before ya' Pa kills me." He teased.

With a barely controlled giggle I pressed my lips to his to comply to his demand. He groaned at the contact before tilting his head to deepen the kiss, just as his tongue swiped across the seam of my lips Trouble lived up to her name and began howling at the moon. Daryl and I broke apart with a giggle and a grunt. "Damn dog."

I climbed off of Daryl's to scoop up the whimpering and howling pup.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Shoving the paper away from me in frustration I glared at my sister and Dad who sat across the table from me with equal smirks on their faces. "What?" I snapped at them, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back in my chair. "It's frustrating."

My Dad nodded in agreement. "It is but it's also extremely important. We have to make the most of the spaces we've created. We have a bunch of people depending on us to get this right." He explained, but instead of easy my frustration and anxiety it just made it worse.

"I just don't get the idea of companion planting. Why can't each vegetable have its own row?" I asked irritably as I pointed to the book about companion planting. "Some herbs or vegetables can go with twenty other vegetables. It's frustrating. Basil needs to go here. Radishes need to be planted with the bean or tomatoes. Potatoes don't need to be in the garden but in barrels." I ranted before simply sighing in defeat and glaring at the papers before me.

"The point we need to concentrate on is not so much saving space as keeping the bugs out of our gardens. Certain plants attract certain bugs but certain herbs will keep those bugs away. We need to find the ones that go together." He explained calmly. "We can't just run to the store for bug spray or fertilizer anymore. We have to do it all on our own now."

Nodding in understanding I leaned back towards the table, pulling my herb book towards me so I could look up what herbs repelled what bugs. "We're going to have flower plants mixed with our vegetable plants with herbs mixed with them all." I told my Dad and sister as I scribbled down notes into the notebook I had designated as the garden notebook.

"Okay." They commented but didn't say anything more as I concentrated on my notes and the text of the book I was reading.

Muttering to myself I scanned over the growing page of notes to make sure I didn't have the same bug repelling plant/herb listed twice. "We need to make sure we have lavender, lemongrass, mint, lemon thyme, chives, dill, fennel, oregano, regular thyme, leeks, shallots, allium plants, chrysanthemums, nasturtiums, petunias, geraniums, marigolds, catnip, rosemary, and garlic." I finished with a sigh. "That should cover all of the bugs you two listed as problems. Aphids, mosquitos, fleas, flies, moths, cabbage bugs, squash bugs, beetles, spider mites, tomato worms, snails, slugs, corm worms, white flies, roaches, lice, moles, and rabbits."

"You're doing great, Bethie. I never could get this stuff right." Maggie said softly as she sat next to our Dad drawing sketches of the farm house, barn, outdoor kitchen the guys were working on, and the garden spaces we had decided on.

"Thanks, Mags." I muttered as I flipped the page to go over the herbs and plants that we would need for anything medical related. "Basil, chamomile, echinacea, feverfew, johnny-jump-up, lavender, lemon balm, marigold, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme, st. johns wort, aloe vera, comfrey, broadleaf plantain, great mullein, and queen anne's lace. That should cover all ailments from diarrhea and gas to infections and broken bones. " I said leaning back in my chair once again. "Now I just get to figure out which plants goes where." I muttered as I looked at the notebook that was filled with gardening notes. "Maybe I should have taken Agri or Home Economics two years instead of just one." I grumbled as I stood from my chair with a heavy sigh. "I'm going to find Trouble for a little bit. It should be about time for her bottle and snack."

Maggie smiled broadly at me because we all knew who had taken Trouble from my arms when Dad had suggested we get the garden layout decided today. Daryl. "Send that young man this way when you get the pup." Dad said with smirk on his face.

"Yes sir." I whispered as I grabbed my jacket and headed to the kitchen to find my pup his snack and bottle. Patricia must have told my Dad that I knew he wanted to talk to Daryl because it had been sixteen days since then and the talk still hadn't happened. It was frustrating to both of us but I had told Daryl on more than one occasion that it would happen when Dad was ready for it to happen.

Walking out the front door I looked around to see if I could spot Daryl and Trouble. The two were pretty inseparable until it came time for bed then Trouble was all mine as we snuggled in the twin bed together. I spotted the pair just coming through one of the openings that had been created in the inner fence to access the spaces between the two walls. Trouble was jumping around Daryl's feet excitedly as Daryl dangled something in the air at the energetic pup. I took off towards the duo that had yet to notice me with a smile plastered to my face. "Don't do nothing I wouldn't do!" Maggie called out to me as she came strolling out of the house towards the side yard where Rick and Glenn were working to mark off the garden spots so Dad could get Nellie and Jack geared up to get the areas plowed in the next few days.

"Maggie." I groaned as she rounded the side of the house with her laughter trailing off behind her. When I looked back towards Daryl, my breath was taken away as my eyes locked with his. I saw Daryl's lips moved before his hand extended in a point towards me before Trouble followed his arm and spotted me. The wolf pup that had grown so much in the almost three weeks that we've had her that it still amazed me somedays. I watched with a smile on my face as Trouble began leaping and bounding towards me, her long legs and big feet quickly eating away at the space between us. When the rambunctious pup got close to me I fell to my knees so I could catch her. "Hey there, baby girl. Did you have fun hunting?" I asked her as I scratched between her ears as she licked my chin eagerly.

I was busy loving on the pup when Daryl came to a stop next to us. "She's getting' better at trailin' rabbits." Daryl said as he squatted next to where I was sitting on my legs in the grass. "She'll be a great huntin' partner when she gets fully grown." He commented as he reached over to brush a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Now if I could just get ya' to go wit' me."

Wrinkling my nose up at him I shifted Trouble so she was in my lap instead of in my face. "No thanks. I'll leave that to you two. I think I'll stick to the gardening." I told him as I looked up at him. "My dad wants to have that talk now." I muttered sullenly.

He nodded but the sudden clenching of his fist let me know he was nervous about the upcoming talk. "'Bout damn time." He muttered as he winked at me before standing up and striding towards the house to get the talk over with.

Once Daryl disappeared I stood up with Trouble in my arms so I could take her to the barn so I could check on the pigs and horses while she ate her snack Patricia had prepared for her. We had agreed that we didn't want Trouble to have the taste of blood in her mouth to protect our livestock so she always kept a few pieces from our meals to chop up for the growing pup. Placing the meat on the floor of the barn a few feet from the entrance I carried Trouble farther into the barn so she would have to search it out using her wolf senses. "Go find it pretty girl." I told her as I placed her on her feet.

I couldn't help but smile as she stopped just a few inches from me with her nose in the air, sniffing. She immediately turned around towards me so I simply held my hand out so she could smell it but realize I didn't have the meat on me. She sniffed my hand, licked it, then turned around to sniff the air again before slowly walking forward with her little black nose just twitching away. "Miss Beth, you in here?" Macey called out as she stuck her head around the edge of the barn door.

I waved her forward but pointed out Trouble who was moving a little faster now that she had caught the trail to her foot. "Yeah, you want to come help with the animals?" I asked her as she eased around Trouble with the pup not giving her much more than a cursory glance. My girl was singularly focused on her food.

"Yes please. Mr. Hershel says that when the garden gets started that Carl, Emily, and I can take over caring for the animals." She explained as she grabbed the pitchfork that we used to clean the stalls out every day.

Smiling over at her I grabbed my own pitchfork to clean out Nellie's stall. "You clean out Jack's stall while I clean out Nellie's. I don't want you getting kicked or hurt, okay? Even when I'm busy with the garden you don't clean her stall, okay?" I explained as I petted my nervous by nature horse on her nose.

"Yes ma'am." She said as she turned her attention to Jack's stall. It wasn't the first time she had helped me with the animals so we worked in relative silence as we cleaned out the two horse stalls.

Just as I was pouring Nellie's food into her bucket Trouble came back to dance around my feet with little barks. She wanted her bottle. Pulling her bottle from my back pocket I scooped the precious thing up into my arms where she promptly rolled to her back so she could take her bottle. She was so spoiled already. "Chill out little girl, I've got what you want." I told her as I brought the bottle to her mouth as I settled onto one of the last few haybales we had left in the barn.

Macey smiled broadly at me as she measured out Jack's feed. "She's so cute."

"She's a lucky girl." I told her as I tickled the pup's stomach while she drank greedily from the bottle. "Just like you and your sisters." I whispered.

Macey nodded but a frown spread across the normally happy girl. "They were betting on who would get their turn with me first, you know? Just before Kayden showed up to tell us we were leaving. The thing they were fighting for was who would get me first. You guys really did save me." She whispered as she dumped the feed into Jack's bucket before swiping tears from her cheeks. "Thank you for that." She whispered just before walking out of the barn to check on the pigs. Now that the piglets were pretty good size we had moved them all to the outside stalls.

Swiping tears from my own cheeks I pulled the now empty bottle from Trouble's mouth before cuddling the girl against my hurting heart.


	12. Chapter 12

**I really hate to beg for reviews but really guys...no reviews?**

 **It's frustrating as a writer to not hear what you guys think of the chapters as I post them.**

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Chapter 12

Once Macey, Trouble, and I had finished tending to the animals I decided to head to the back porch to see if Patricia needed any help with the laundry. We could use our washing machine and dryer since we had solar panels hooked up now but we chose to only run the necessities such as the freezers, refrigerator, and hot water heater. "Need a hand?" I asked Patricia and Michonne as they hung freshly washed sheets onto the clothes lines that had been strung up my entire life.

"Always. With so many people and a newborn around there is always something that needs washing." Patricia said with a groan as she slammed the clothes pin onto the string to hold the sheet into place.

I groaned but walked over to the wash tub and scrub board to start on the next piece so the process could keep going. "This shouldn't all be on you, Patricia. Maybe we need to assign different days or let each person take care of their own laundry." Trouble settled down next to my feet with a heavy sigh as she laid her head on her two front paws.

Michonne stuck her head around the shirt she was currently pinning to the line. "That's not a bad idea. When spring hits I have a feeling that things are going to get very busy around here but at least by then the other fence and rooms should be mostly finished."

"From the notes Maggie, Dad, and I were making this morning it's going to be getting very busy pretty soon and will stay that way until next fall. Our garden spots, both inside and outside the fences, are going to be a constant stream of work for everybody." I complained as I scrubbed a shirt that I recognized as Daryl's against the scrub board to get it clean.

Patricia chuckled as she picked up another item from the clean basket while I fed Daryl's shirt through the wringer rollers as my other hand cranked the handle to get most of the water out of the material. "Gardening is hard work to begin with much less doing it on such a gigantic scale like we are having to do. And on top of that we don't have access to tractors or other farm equipment that made farming easier since the pioneer days."

With a heavy sigh I picked up the next item in the dirty bucket to begin scrubbing at it. "Don't remind me. Dad's done told me that the wheat is going to have to be picked by hand before hand chopping the stalks down for the animals bedding. Same thing with the corn and the alfalfa. Do you realize how much we are planning to plant this year? Then next year we plan to double that if we can. It's daunting."

"Maybe you need to wash clothes more often, Beth. To take your frustrations out in a productive way." Michonne teased as she grabbed the clothes from the basket I was tossing them into.

I laughed but nodded in agreement. "Maybe so."

Michonne, Patricia, and I had settled into a routine of me washing, Michonne wringing, and Patricia hanging while Trouble napped through it all. Before long the entire chore of scrubbing, wringing, and hanging all the laundry was completed and hung out to basically drip dry since it was so cold outside. "We're finished ladies. Now I guess I've skirted my job of planning the garden long enough." I told them as I nudged Trouble away so we could take a tromp through the grass before going back inside. "Come on, lazy bones." I told her as I headed for the steps that led to the yard. "Let's go use the bathroom before we go finish our work." I said more to myself than the pup that was now hopping around the yard sniffing out the perfect bathroom spot.

After ensuring that Trouble had used the bathroom we headed inside where I found the kitchen table deserted. Gathering my papers and books up I headed upstairs to put them in my room so I could work on them later when my Dad was there to help me out. Walking into my bedroom that still held all of my teenage clutter I shook my head at what I saw. Band posters on the wall, random photos I had taken at school with my friends covering the entire wall behind my bed, little trinkets that had been given to me over the years scattered along my shelves and dresser, and my backpack still hanging on the back of my desk chair waiting for me to pick it up on my way to school. "Ugh." I muttered as I laid the gardening books on my bed that still had the girly teenage bedding I had begged my mom and dad for a few months before the turn of the world.

Taking a look around I decided it was time to get rid of the clutter and useless junk. I started by ripping down the band posters of famous musicians that were most likely dead now but their music would never be heard again since music was mostly done on the internet before the turn. Balling the posters up I tossed them in a pile at the doorway before continuing the process with the pictures of people that had left town or were dead now. I scowled as I spotted a picture of Jimmy and me at the last school dance we ever attended. It had been a ridiculous tradition that consisted of buying a ridiculously expensive dress that you would only wear one time for a few hours, painting your face full of makeup that made you afraid to smile for fear of cracking the mask, and pinning your hair up with enough bobby pins to wrap around the entire perimeter of my farm. I ripped the picture in half, tossing Jimmy's half into the trash pile and laying my portion of the picture on the desk.

I was standing on my bed to reach the pictures at the top of the wall when a welcomed voice sounded from my doorway. "What are you doing, Lucky?" Daryl asked.

Turning around on my bed carefully I looked him over to make sure he had escaped my dad's conversation unscathed. "Getting rid of the useless clutter. I'm not this girl anymore." I said motioning around at the clutter filled walls. "This girl is long gone now." I muttered as I turned back to take some more pictures from the wall.

"She's not gone anywhere, just done growin' up is all." He said as he leaned against my doorframe with his feet crossed at the ankle. "Never much liked pictures myself." He muttered as he looked at the photos scattered on the floor near his feet.

Turning around I spotted my old polaroid camera on the top shelf of my bookcase. "Will you take one with me so we can show the beginning of our relationship?" I asked as I hopped off the bed so I could climb on my desk chair to grab the camera from the high shelf.

Daryl grunted in annoyance but didn't run away as I grasped the camera in my hands. "Ya gonna do my picture like ya done these?" He asked pointing to the ones of Jimmy that were torn to shreds. "Maybe when I do somethin' ta piss ya' off?"

I shook my head at him as I crooked my finger at him. "Stop stalling and come here."

"Ya think just cause I kissed ya that ya can boss me around?" He growled at me as he pushed off the doorjamb to stalk across the room towards me.

I couldn't help but smile up at him before sticking my tongue out at him. He lunged at me which caused us to fall backwards onto the bed amid my giggles and his grunts. "You gonna spank me again?" I whispered as I slicked my fingers in to his hair, fisting the strands tightly in my hands. Things just got serious. With a deep growl he pushed me aside before climbing off the bed. "Where are you going?" I asked, startled at his absence, as I sat up in bed with my legs dangling off the end.

He looked over his shoulder at me as he pushed my bedroom door closed, flicking the lock in place. "Where's Trouble?" He asked as he looked around the room for the pup we shared.

"Under the bed, why?" I whispered as he stalked slowly back towards the bed.

He smirked down at me. "Cause I don't want her ta see this." Came his whispered reply as he leaned over me until his nose brushed against mine and his knee rested between my legs as they dangled off the bed. "Scoot up." He whispered as he pressed a short but hard kiss against my lips.

Using my hands and feet I scooted up the bed while watching Daryl with wide eyes. This was the one area I had very little experience in while I was certain he had had his fair share of experiences before the turn happened. "Daryl…" I whispered nervously as he raked his eyes over my body from toe to face. "I've never…" I whispered but trailed off when he shook his head gently at me.

"Stop." He whispered as he bent down to me taking my bottom lip between his teeth, nipping lightly. "Ya want ya picture?" Daryl whispered as he held up my old fashioned camera that would give us an immediate picture.

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. "Yes!" I giggled as I rolled on my side so that my back was against his chest and our faces side by side as I pulled the camera from Daryl's hand. I positioned the camera in the best spot and began the countdown. "On three, okay?"

"Yeah." Daryl grunted as he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his hard body.

Smiling brightly I started the official countdown. "One." I whispered softly as I wiggled my jean clad bottom against Daryl's jean clad hips. "Two." Taking a deep breath I put my finger over the button that would freeze us forever in time on film. "One." Daryl leaned forward to press a kiss to my cheek just as my finger pressed the button, momentarily blinding me. "Daryl!" I giggled as I pulled the film from the camera to begin shaking it so it would develop faster.

Daryl continued to trail kisses from my cheek back to behind my ear and then down my throat. "Lucky, what are ya doin' ta me?" He groaned against my throat as he fingers spread across my stomach.

Looking at the picture as it developed I couldn't help but smile before tossing it on the bed beside us as I turned in Daryl's arms. Once we were face to face I reached a hand up to cup the side of his cheek as his other rested in his bent arm. "I'm not doing anything to you, Daryl, that you aren't doing to me."

He shook his head slightly. "Nah, I ain't never been like this." He grumbled as I slid my hand into his hair as I mimicked his pose by bending my arm to rest my head on my hand.

"Like what?" I asked as I gripped his hair tightly, tugging gently on the strands just so I could hear that one specific groan that came from deep in his chest.

When his eyes locked on to me I was stunned at the intensity in them. "Soft. Never was one for all this kissin' and cuddlin'." He explained as his hand trailed over my hip and onto my butt where he flexed his fingers into my rounded cheek. "Keep that up and I won't be responsible for what happens." He growled when I tugged on his hair again. That deep chest groan did something to my insides that I just couldn't resist.

"You know those threats don't work with me, right? Cause everything you've done so far I've liked." I whispered as I leaned up to take his bottom lip between my teeth like he had done mine a few minutes ago. "I like foolin' around with you but I'm not ready to go all the way yet." I whispered against his lips before pulling back to gauge his reaction to my words.

The blues of his eyes darkened to almost black while his eyes traced over my face and his hand slid off my bottom and onto my thigh so he could tug my leg up over his. "Thays a lot we can do wit'out goin' all the way." He growled as he leaned his head towards mine to capture my lips in his.

When I leaned into the kiss Daryl rolled to his back pulling me on top of him with my legs on either side of his hips. Planting my hands on either side of his head I pushed myself up so that I could look down at him, my eyes smoldering from the feelings he had coursing through my veins. "This can't feel good." I whispered as I settled all of my weight against his hardened erection that was confined to his jeans and pressing up into me. "I don't wanna hurt you but I don't know how to…" I trailed off in embarrassment, laying myself down flat against his chest and tucking my head beneath his chin so that he couldn't see my face.

"Lucky…" Daryl groaned as he ran his hands up and down my back attempting to soothe me. When I didn't budge from my hiding spot he rolled up back over in my bed until I was laying flat on the bed with Daryl laying next to me with his leg bent between mine and his free hand reaching up to brush my hair from my face. "I like that you don't know how to do any a this stuff. Means I'm ya first for it." He growled as he cupped my chin in his hand, turning my head so that our eyes locked once again. "I don't needya ta do anything other than just be here wit' me. Okay?" He asked softly as he leaned forward to stroke his nose against mine.

I nodded as my eyes traced every feature of his face before reconnecting with his eyes. "Okay." I whispered as I reached up to sink my hands in his hair, tugging on it once again since my insecurities had derailed us slightly. Daryl groaned as he leaned down to capture my lips in his quickly while his bent leg slid upwards until it was pressed against the apex of my thighs causing me to arch my back. "Oh God." I moaned as he pressed his knee more firmly against my aching center, causing something to stir deep inside me.

He pulled away from me with a smirk on his face. "Ya okay, Lucky?" he snarked as he moved his knee up and down against the seam of my jeans a little bit, stroking what was hidden beneath my clothes.

Shaking my head against my pillow I glared over at him. "No." I whimpered as I pressed my hips against his, attempting to seek some kind of relief for myself. "Help." I whimpered to him as I felt like I would split in half from the ache in my jeans.

"You sure?" Daryl asked as his hand slid from my face to my neck before sliding down between my breasts he had yet to touch but I wished he would to erase all the memories of Jimmy's rough pawing of my boobs.

Pulling one hand from his hair I grasped his as it rested between my breasts against my heaving chest. "Touch me, please." I growled as I tugged his hand over to my breast until his palm was covering my small mounds. "I know they're small but please" I groaned as I rotated my hips against the pressure of his knee.

Daryl sealed our lips together as his hand slid off my mound, down my stomach, and beneath my shirt causing me to groan into his mouth as he touched the bare skin of my stomach for the first time. "Stop." He whispered against my lips as we struggled to catch our breaths while his hand slid slowly up my stomach until his fingers were pushing my sports bra up over my small mounds. I gasped when his whole hand spread over my bare mound for the first time. I opened my eyes wide as he stroked his fingers over my mound before trailing back down my stomach. "Can I?" He asked softly as he fingered the bottom hem of my t-shirt.

I nodded as I locked eyes with him as he tugged my shirt up my chest until it was pulled over my head and tossed to the floor along with my sports bra leaving my upper half completely bare. "Daryl." I groaned, covering myself because I was self-conscious of my body.

He towered over me, his chest covering half of mine as he trailed his fingers slowly back up my stomach as his eyes trailed from my face and to my bare chest. He trailed his fingers lightly up around my heaving mound as he placed his lips against my jawline. "Gorgeous." He whispered as he trailed his lips down my throat while his fingers caressed my bare breast, taking my hard nipple between his fingers squeezing gently.

I moaned loudly as his lips trailed onto my chest while shifting his body until he was kneeling over me, his hair trailing along my skin as he kissed his way down my chest bone to my stomach. When he reached my belly button he placed a kiss there before sitting back on his knees that were straddling my one leg while his gaze raked over my bare upper form. "Daryl." I whimpered as I sat up slightly, resting back on my bent elbows. "I'm feeling extremely exposed right now." I told him as I nodded towards his shirts and vest he still wore.

When he caught onto what I wanted him to do his whole demeanor changed. He sat fully back on his feet, wringing his hands tightly together, and hung his head so low his chin nearly rested on his chest. "No." He muttered with a shake of his head as he looked back up to my face. "Don't take my shirt off in front of people." He growled as he tried to climb off the bed, our chemistry all but forgotten in his visible anxiety. "It's ugly under here." He said fingering the ragged hem of his shirt.

Lunging forward I gripped his arms to tug him back down onto the bed with me. "No you don't. I'm not people, I'm me." I told him as he let me pull him down onto the bed next to me. "What are you hiding beneath these clothes?" I asked as I slid my fingers beneath the hem of his shirts, sliding my fingers up until I encountered the flesh of his stomach. "Trust me." I whispered to him softly as I slid my fingers around his hip and onto his back.

"Don't feel sorry for me. Please." He whispered raggedly as my fingers slid fully onto his lower back. When my fingers felt the raised edges of skin on his back I immediately knew it was going to be bad but I listened to his words and looked up at him.

"When?" I asked raggedly.

"Long time ago." He muttered around his ragged breathing. "They're disgusting. No pity."

"Never because without these you may not be here with me right now." I muttered as I pressed my whole palm flat against his bare back. "Can we take these off now?" I whispered softly as I pressed a kiss to his scruff covered jaw.

I watched his face as he rolled my question over in his head before catching my gaze with his. "Yeah." He whispered softly as he sat up in the bed with his back to me and his feet on the floor. Sitting up on my knees behind him I leaned forward to place a kiss against his wrist as he reached over his head to tug off all his shirts in one tug. "It's okay." I whispered as I slid my hands underneath his layers of shirts from behind to assist in his tugging them off over his head. When his back was completely exposed I had to bite my lip to keep from crying for the little boy who had suffered so much to get these scars. Blinking away the tears that automatically sprang to my eyes I scooted forward to press my bare chest against his scar covered back. "Thank you for trusting me." I whispered against his ear as I wrapped my arms around his chest as he bent forward to rest his elbows against his knees.

He nodded but remained silent as I hugged him from behind for several minutes with my head resting against his upper back. "Saved by Trouble." He whispered as he reached up to take one of my hands in his, pulling it up to place a kiss against my knuckles before pulling away from my embrace as Trouble came out from under the bed.

Sitting back on the bed with my back pressed against the wall I pulled my pillow to my chest as I watched Daryl cuddle our pup against his bare chest as he sat at the edge of my bed. "Can I ask a question?" I asked softly as my gaze roamed over the scars and tattoos on his back.

Turning around to face me I caught my first glimpse at his chest. The man was ripped. I guess hard manual labor was better than any gym membership. He smirked as he caught me staring openmouthed at his chest. "Like whatya see?" He asked as he sat Trouble on my bed.

I nodded as I bit my lip and raised my eyes to his. "Yeah, did you?" I asked softly as Trouble bounded into my lap.

Before he could answer me a knock sounded on my locked bedroom door. "Bethie, you in here?" Maggie asked from the other side.

Looking at Daryl with wide eyes I tossed the pillow aside as I leaned over the edge of my bed to look for my shirt. "Get dressed." I hissed at him as I spotted my shirt and sports bra in a tangle at the edge of my bed. "What's up, Mags?" I called to the door as I struggled to untangle my clothes while Daryl shook his head at me as he stood from the bed. He snatched Trouble from my lap before walking over to the bedroom door with just his jeans hanging low on his hips. "Daryl don't!" I whisper called as I struggled to free the tangle of my clothes.

He winked at me over his shoulder as he flipped the lock and pulled the door partially open with his bare chest filling the open space to give me privacy. "Somethin' we can help ya with Maggie?"

~*~LUCKY~*~

In the days that followed after Daryl rendered my sister speechless, Maggie waggled her eyebrows and giggled at me every time she saw me so when she approached me without doing those ridiculous things I knew something serious was on her mind. "Hey Mags." I called to her as I worked on the front porch getting the seeding containers ready for seeds.

"Bethie, will you go for a walk with me?" She asked as she looked at me seriously.

Sighing heavily I stopped spooning the soil into the tiny containers that would allow our seeds to sprout into plants that we could transplant into the garden once the weather warmed up some. "Is this about me and Daryl? Cause if it is I don't want to hear it. We're not having sex yet." I told her as I searched her face to gauge her reaction to my words.

Maggie looked at me with a smile on her face. "Glenn asked me to marry him and I'm freaking out about it. Now, can we please go for a walk?"

I shook my head. "I can't, Mags. I've got to get these seeds in the dirt today so we stay on schedule with the garden. But we can talk right here, nobody else is anywhere around us today." I told her unnecessarily since she knew as well as I did that only Baylee, Lori, and Patricia resided in the house. Daryl, Rick, Aaron, Kayden, Abraham, and Glenn had went back to the Jacobson's farm to gather more building supplies while Sasha, Rosita, and Michonne kept watch from the platforms on different sides of the property. Our Dad had all the kids in the barn teaching them different things about the animals and how to take care of them. Tyrese, T-Dogg, Dale, and Eric were busy using the horses to get the fields ready for planting.

"Fine. Daryl would probably skin me alive if I took you outside the fences without him anyways." She said with a smile as she hopped up onto the porch railing to look out over our family farm that had taken on so many changes in the past six months.

"He's mostly bark and no bite." I mumbled to myself before shaking my head to clear the memory of yesterday when he showed me just how much bite he had in him. It had been a little over a week since our shirts had first come off and it seemed like Daryl couldn't get enough of the tiny mounds that sat high on my chest. "Well usually." I muttered to myself before looking up at my sister who was looking at me with a weird look on her face. "What?"

She scrunched up her face as she looked away from me. "Too much information, Bethie, too much information."

I laughed at that because everybody on this farm had caught her and Glenn in one way or another. "That's like the pot calling the kettle black." I told her with a chuckle. "Weren't you and Glenn caught in the hayloft of the barn just a few days ago?"

Maggie held her hands up in surrender as a smile graced her face. "Point made." She said as she shook her head. "I don't know anything about being a wife, Bethie. What if I disappoint him?"

"Being a wife today is nothing like being a wife used to be. The standards that we used to struggle to live up to don't matter anymore. If Glenn wasn't happy with the way you are then he would have nevr asked you the question. Now, have you given the man an answer yet?" I asked as I continued to work diligently on the small containers I had lined up on the front porch since Patricia had absolutely refused to let me do the planting in the house.

Maggie nodded her head as a smile graced her face. "When did you get so grown up, Bethie?" She asked me as she dug a hand into her pocket before pulling her hand back out with a tiny ring in her fingers. "Don't know where he found it at but he gave this to me this morning."

"Maybe from a walker?" I asked with a giggle as I took the ring from her to admire it. It was beautiful. "It's gorgeous, Mags. You gonna have a ceremony or just announce it over dinner that you're now married?" I asked curiously because the idea of an actual ceremony was fairly pointless these days when we all gathered up twice a day to eat together.

She tossed her head back in exasperation. "Glenn wants to announce it tonight at dinner that we're now married. He even talked to Dad first before asking me. You don't think it's too soon?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "What do I know? My one boyfriend is dead from arrogance and now I'm in something I don't know what to call it with the resident grouch." I told her with a smile on my face because not putting a label on what Daryl and I are to each other is a tiny bit irritating but he didn't seem like the type to actually put labels on things. "If things don't work out in the future you can always just move to separate rooms and say you're no longer married."

The glare she directed at me caused me to giggle. "You're becoming synical, Bethie. Momma and Daddy raised us that marriage was forever unless one dies early. Don't you still believe in that?"

Looking at her I nodded. "I do but times have changed, Maggie. It's not that my beliefs have changed but the world we live in has. If you two are committed to one another then the problems that used to plague relationships shouldn't be a problem anymore. It's not as if we hold normal jobs that take us away from each other all day or out of town for weeks at a time. We can go together if we have to go on a supply run or something like that. Cheating shouldn't be a problem since we are such a tight knit community."

Maggie launched herself at me, wrapping me up into a tight hug. "Momma did an amazing job with you, Bethie. Daryl is a lucky man to have snagged you for himself before someone else did and Jimmy was just an idiot." She whispered against my hair before sniffling into my shoulder. "I love Glenn and can't imagine a world without him by my side."

"Then you have nothing to worry about except Daddy getting irritated when these seeds aren't planted by tonight." I told her with a chuckle.

We worked side by side for the next several hours getting the hundreds of seeds planted in the tiny containers. "Done." Maggie said as she flopped out on the porch in exhaustion.

I laughed as I fell down beside her. "My back is so sore from bending over all day." I groaned as I felt the muscles in my back tightening up. "Why did Daddy have to pick me to be the garden protégé?"

"Because you have a knack for it, Bethie." Maggie said as she threw her hand up over her eyes. "You always was the epitome of farm girl who was content to stay at home on the farm while I couldn't wait to get out of here to explore the world when I was growing up."

~*~LUCKY~*~

Sitting on my bed watching the rain pelt against my bedroom window made me smile because it not only gave me a day off from hard manual labor but it also gave me uninterrupted time to write in my notebooks but also time to spend with Daryl without us being worn out from a hard days work. "What are you writing in that thing?" Daryl asked as he played a rousing game of tug of war with Trouble while I wrote in my notebook.

When the rain had run us all inside to keep us from catching a cold I had snagged Daryl by the hand so we could escape to my bedroom with Trouble. Once inside my bedroom we had shed our outermost layers before collapsing on the bed together with our pup resting between us. After a few shared kisses I had stood from my bed to snag a notebook and pen from my bookcase while Daryl had tugged a piece of knotted rope from the pocket of his jeans to play with Trouble. "Just stuff." I muttered as I looked down at him, looking so relaxed on my bed with his head resting in my lap wearing low hanging jeans, an undershirt, and his socks.

He reached up to tug the pen and notebook from my hand. "What kind of stuff?" He asked as he flipped to a new page without so much as even glancing at what I had written. "Anything about me in here?" He asked as he began writing in the notebook that I usually wrote in every night before bed.

I couldn't help but blush because the pages recently had been filled with thoughts and dreams of him and us together. "Maybe, maybe not. What are you writing in there?" I asked as his hand moved steadily over the clean page he had turned to.

"Just stuff." He told me with a wink as he continued to write in my notebook.

"About me?" I asked curiously as Trouble gave a large yawn before scrambling off my bed and to the spot I had created for her at the foot of my bed when I got tired of her being a bed hog.

He shrugged with a quick glance up at me. "Maybe, maybe not. Whatcha think about Glenn and Maggie decidin' ta be married?" He asked softly without so much as glancing up at me or faltering in his writing.

I shrugged. "I'm happy for her. Them." I said softly as I reached down to run my fingers through Daryl's light brown hair that was so soft to the touch when not drenched in sweat. "What did you think about it?" I asked the one thing I had been wondering since the announcement was made a few nights ago at dinner. Knowing Daryl as well as I did I had been patiently waiting for him to bring it up to me when he was ready to discuss it. We had talked a little bit about his childhood so I knew he didn't have the best outlook when it came to marriage and children so I just had to be patient with the man who had slowly captured my heart without even trying.

Daryl laid the notebook across his chest as he looked up at me. "I want ta think they'll be happy but folks told me that my Ma was happy 'fore she married my bastard of a father." Daryl said seriously.

Smiling down at him I stroked my hand around to cup his cheek. "They'll be just fine, Daryl. You ever picture yourself getting married and having kids?" I asked softly as I stroked my fingers against the stubble that he kept trimmed on his cheeks.

"Is that what ya' want? Cause ya sister got hitched, ya want the same thing?" He asked, his tone let me know that he was freaking out inside.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Seems to me that don't nothing with 'marriage' nowadays except they get to call each other husband and wife. There's no legal document, no ceremony, no going to the courthouse to change your name, none of that exists anymore. Just being committed to one another is enough for me."

He reached a hand up gripping the end of my braid to tug my face down to his as he raised his head up to meet me halfway. "I like the way you think, Lucky." He whispered just before his lips took mine in a passionate kiss. When he pulled his lips from mine he smirked up at me as he rested his head back in my lap. "Are ya committed?" He whispered as his eyes stayed locked on mine. One intense blue burning into another.

Looking down at him I traced my fingers along the contours of his face as his eyelids slid shut while a groan that sounded more like a purr came from his chest. "I like to think that we're committed to each other. That's good enough for me and it must be good enough for my Dad because he's letting you stay up here in my room with the door closed which is more than he ever let Shawn and Maggie do with their boyfriends and girlfriends." His eyes snapped open suddenly as he sat up in my bed with a start.

"I ain't no boyfriend material, Beth." He whispered as he slid his feet to the floor.

I didn't move because I knew he had to work things out in his own head and he needed space to do that in. "Maybe not but you are my kind of committed man material." I whispered from my spot at the head of my bed with my back pressed against my wall. "Anybody else's opinion matter?" I asked him as I twisted my hands together in my lap.

He shook his head as he cradled my notebook and pen in his hands. "No."

"Then what's the problem?" I asked him softly. "Will you lay back down with me?"

With a heavy sigh he resumed his previous position in the bed, with his head resting against my thighs. "Here." He whispered as he handed me my notebook while his eyes slid shut. He had folded the page in half to prevent me from reading it.

Taking the wear worn book from his hands I stroked my fingers through his hair to let him know that I wasn't going anywhere. "Can I read it now?"

He shook his head slightly. "Later. I'll let ya know when."

"Okay." I whispered as I stroked my fingers through his hair soothingly as we both lay there listening to the rain pelt against the house.

"Can you sing for me?" He asked as he cracked his eyes open to look at me.

Smiling down at him I couldn't help but be blown away by the emotion that was swirling in his bright blue eyes. "Of course, old or new?"

With a shrug of his shoulders he let his eyes slide closed again while my fingers stroked against his scalp rhythmically as I thought of the perfect song to sing on this lazy rainy day that was filled with so many emotions. Eventually I settled on Tori Kelley's _I Was Made for Loving You._


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Is there any way we can get Baylee and Ian their own room?" Kayden asked as we worked side by side in the garden, loosening the soil in preparation of the upcoming planting of our spring garden.

Looking over at him I couldn't help but grin at the guy before me. Ever since he had stepped foot on our property he had worked side by side with each of us to ensure our future and the future of his sisters. In the months that he and his kid sisters have been on the farm the man had yet to complain a single time and he shared the attic space with three young girls and a newborn baby. "I'll talk to everybody when they get back and see what we can do but with the wall spaces not yet finished I'm not going to make any promises. Okay?" I asked him as I paused in my hand cultivating of the garden bed I was working on. Instead of long rows with wasted space between to allow vines to grow I decided to grow the viney vegetables in plots instead of rows; pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, peas, and beans.

"Sounds great, Beth. Thanks for even considering it because as much as I love my sisters and my nephew, I need some sleep before gardening season really kicks off." He mumbled as he worked the soil over and over until it became loose and dark brown.

I laughed at his grumble because I could sometimes hear the baby crying in the quiet hours of the night or early morning but Baylee normally got him quiet fairly quickly but it had to be so much worse when sharing the same space that was only separated by sheets hanging from the rafters. "It's no big deal, Kayden. The rooms in the wall addition should be ready in the next few weeks and maybe then you can get your own space out there because with a newborn Baylee will be safer in the main house." I explained in case he had tuned out at the planning meetings we had had over the past few months.

"It's going to be even worse when Mrs. Lori has her baby any day now." He said with a shake of his head just as a piercing scream sounded from the direction of the house. "Seems like today may be the day." Kayden said as I dropped my rake as I raced towards the house. I had been researching which herbs would help out best with Lori's impending labor and surgery so it was my job to get the herbs ready for my Dad and Carol who were going to actually do the hard work of delivering Baby Grimes.

Lori had confided months ago that she required a c-section with Carl due to her labor not progressing so my Dad and Carol had been preparing to perform the operation when the time came. When I burst through the front door Patricia pointed me towards the garage space we had set up for the Grimes family even though Rick had taken to sleeping on the couch in the living room instead of sharing the bed with his wife. "She's in there. I'm heating up the water now."

"Thanks, Patricia. Are Dad and Carol in there yet?" I asked as I paused to grab the stack of sterile linens we had boiled just a few days ago in preparation for this exact moment.

She nodded with a smile. "They are."

"Good, I'll just take these to them then." I told her as I grabbed the stack of linens before heading through the door that led to the garage.

When I walked into the large open space I saw Carol helping Lori strip out of her pants and underwear that were soaked with amniotic fluid. "Bethie, I need you to go get your herbs ready quickly because we are going to have to operate soon."

"Okay." I said as I sat my stack of linens on the trunk at the end of the bed. "I'll be right back."

Once I was back in the kitchen I walked into what used to be a supply closet but was now full of everything we had scavenged from the apothecary shop in Denton. I grabbed the chamomile, peppermint, ginger, cats claw, and turmeric to begin mixing the recommended amounts into a cup that I then carried into the kitchen to fill with boiling water. "What's that sweetheart?" Patricia asked as I grabbed a spoon from the drawer to stir my concoction.

"My first major attempt at an herbal remedy. It's a bunch of herbs that are meant to promote relaxation and pain relief but also have antibacterial benefits." I explained as I mixed the dried herbs into the hot boiling water before grabbing a bit of mesh to strain the bits of dried leaves and roots from the drink. "The book I read a few days ago suggested we apply plantain leaves directly to open wounds to encourage new cell growth." I rambled as I slowly strained the mixture into a clean cup.

Patricia patted me encouragingly on the shoulder as I walked past her on my way back to the garage. Once I gave Lori the cup of bitter tasting drink I immediately began to worry that it wouldn't work. She was a trooper and downed the drink in one swallow before handing me back the cup as her face scrunched up in her dislike of the mixture. "I hope it helps, Lori. I'm sure it's not going to be as good as actual medication but it should ease the pain a little bit." I told her in an attempt to soothe her.

She looked over at me thankfully. "I'm sure it will be fine, Beth. Thanks for trying though I may suggest we find a way to take away the bitter taste next time." She said causing all four of us in the room to chuckle.

"Yeah, the bees ain't producing any honey yet or I would've added that to it." I told her with a shrug of my shoulders. "You want me to go get Rick from the fields?" I asked as I backed out of the room when my Dad pulled down the sheet to wash Lori's stomach with betadine while Carol wiped down the tools he would need to pull the baby from her stomach.

Lori looked at me with sad eyes before shaking her head. "No, he knows this is happening today. I've been in labor since last night."

"Oh okay. I'm gonna go prepare the leaves to apply after the surgery." I whispered before hightailing it out of the room. Rick, T-Dogg, Tyrese, and Dale were working on the fields outside the main fences that would house our wheat, corn, and alfalfa stock. The rest of our guys, except Rosita, Michonne, Carol, and Eric who were keeping watch, were out gathering more materials for the space between the two walls and scavenging whatever they can find.

Grabbing my book from the herb closet I headed outside to find the so called weed that I needed to apply to Lori's surgical incision after my Dad stitched her up. With Trouble spending the morning with the kids, I could concentrate on finding the plant I needed without being distracted. Within minutes I found the weed I was looking for and plucked several large leaves before rushing back inside with a bright smile on my face.

While I stood at the kitchen sink rinsing the leaves I had found I could hear Lori screaming from the other room. "Is she going to be okay?" I asked Patricia nervously as I shook the leaves to dry them the best I could.

Patricia chuckled but nodded. "She's in great hands, Bethie. Just do your best to make sure she doesn't get an infection afterwards. These days, infection is more dangerous that actually getting cut open." She explained as she stood at the counter next to me watching my movements.

Heaving a heavy worry laden sigh I pulled the bowl and masher from the cabinet to begin mashing the leaves up until they were similar to a spread that I could apply to Lori's incision for the next several days to ward off infection and promote healing. "It's things like this that make me scared to have kids in the world we live in now. That baby seems to be tearing their family apart."

"Oh honey, it's not the baby that is tearing them apart. It's personal problems that they were having before the world changed that have only gotten worse." Patricia explained as I tore the leaves up to put them in the wooden bowl so I could smash them into a poultice. "Babies are still blessings from God, Bethie. Little Ian has given Baylee a reason to smile again. Lori and Rick's baby won't fix their marital problems but it will bring a little bit of happiness to a sad situation."

With a heavy sigh I nodded. "I can see that but it's so dangerous to have a crying baby in this world. What if something ever happens to this place and we're out there with the walkers? I don't think I would survive if I had a baby and it got bit because it was crying."

"Well lets hope and pray that those walls hold up to whatever chooses to come knocking." She said as she pressed a kiss to the side of my head before walking out of the kitchen. "This old woman is going to relax for a little bit before it's time to get started on dinner."

Once the poultice was mixed up I carried it back into the garage apartment where Carol was holding the baby while my dad meticulously stitched up where he had cut open Lori's stomach. "Boy or girl?" I asked with a smile.

"Girl. I'm going to wait until Carl gets back to name her." Lori explained as she lay flat on her back while my Dad worked quickly but efficiently on her incision.

Smiling over at her I placed the bowl of green poultice next to my Dad. "This is plantain leaves with a little bit of chamomile and peppermint mixed in. It's supposed to encourage rapid healing and reduce the risk of infection. I put the chamomile and peppermint in to help with the pain." I explained to both my Dad and Lori.

"Thanks, Beth." Lori said as she reached a hand out to grasp mine. "I appreciate everything you guys have done for my family."

I squeezed her hand before laying a hand on my Dad's shoulder. "I'm certain you guys would have done it for our family too. I'm gonna get back to my gardening now." I said as I headed out the garage door and into the yard.

"Everything okay?" Kayden asked when I joined him back at the gardening spot.

"Yep, we've got a new baby girl added to the family." I told him with a bright smile. "And a happy momma too."

Kayden nodded as we began working in silence once again, the grueling work our main focus since it was imperative to our livelihood here at the farm. I'm not sure how long we worked in silence, side by side, before Michonne's whistle alerted us to our guys coming back from their scavenging trip. "Let's take a break for a few." I told Kayden as I tossed my cultivator to the side of the loose soil I had been working on, exchanging it for the bottle of water Patricia had brought out to us earlier.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Watching the three strangers sitting in the back of the truck that Abraham and Jesus were riding in caused me to smile at Daryl as he pulled his motorcycle up next to the house. "What's this? Rescuing people without my influence?" I teased him as he cut the engine of the motorcycle but stayed sitting on it.

He looked up at me with squinted eyes. "Found 'em in a barn a few miles from here. One of 'ems some kinda doctor and another's an army medic."

I smiled at that. "That's great! We could use someone around here with some actual human medical training because Lori had her baby today!" I told him excitedly.

"That baby's gonna be a lil' asskicker. Boy or girl?" He asked as he climbed off the motorcycle and only then did I realize that the whole front of him was covered in walker blood splatter.

"Girl." I said with a scowl on my face. "You need a shower."

With a raised eyebrow he stalked towards me with a smirk on his face. "You don't like me when I'm all dirty from a hard days work?"

I shook my head at him. "I've worked hard all day too and I don't look near as rough as you do."

"We ran into a small herd on the way home. Got a lil' dirty takin' care of 'em." He explained as he continued stalking towards me.

Giggling at his playfulness in a serious situation I attempted to spin around to run from him but he caught me before I even took a single step in the opposite direction. "Daryl!" I cried out as he wrapped his arm around my waist lifting me off my feet.

"Where you think you're goin', Lucky?" He chuckled into my ear as he held me firmly against his dirty chest.

Before I could reply my Dad was calling our names from behind us. "Beth! Daryl!"

"Busted." I giggled as Daryl loosened his hold on me as he turned us to face my father. "Hi, Daddy."

My Dad shook his head at our antics but the smile on his face told me that he was secretly happy with our actions. "We need to come together to find some room for our newcomers. Got any ideas?" He asked with a smile.

I looked back at Kayden who just sighed and shook his head, his request for a new space for his sister and baby nephew was going to have to wait. "Maybe Daryl and I can bunk together to free up a bedroom." I suggested as I looked up at Daryl who nodded at me but refused to meet my eyes. Reaching a hand out I gripped his hand in mine, tugging to get his eyes to meet mine. "Is that okay with you? If it's not, it's no big deal." I whispered quietly.

He leaned down to place a kiss against my forehead. "Just gonna make resistin' ya that much harder but it's fine." He explained with a groan before turning to face my father. "If it's okay with you, sir, I can move my things into Beth's room."

We both stood looking at my Dad as he rolled our suggestion over and over in his head. "Yeah, that's fine." He said before turning to face our newcomers. "We'll have a bedroom with a double bed in it and can scrounge some blankets for a pallet on the floor for the night. We will figure out better sleeping arrangements tomorrow but at least you will have a fully stomach, warm water to take a shower in, and fences to keep you safe."

One of the new women stepped forward. "That's more than we expected when your group found us in that barn. We appreciate every thing you are offering us and in return we will help out however we can. My name is Lucy." She said looking around at our group that had gathered in the front yard when the caravan of our people had come in. Lucy was a slender woman with a ponytail full of red curly hair, pale skin, and sparkling green eyes. "I'm not as skilled as these other two considering I was an architect before the turn but I'll pitch in wherever you need me to. I'm not afraid of hard work." She said as she shook all of our hands before stepping back between her two companions.

The other woman stepped forward next. "I used to be called Dr. Johnson but these days Dakota works just fine and I am a Native American healer." The dark skinned woman with board straight black hair that fell below her waistline said as she shook our hands. "I can help with herbal treatments and such but do not fear I was a licensed practicing doctor with a degree from University of Arizona."

I smiled at her from where I stood between my father and Daryl. "That's great! My dad just delivered a baby earlier today by cesarean section. I could use some help with treating her. I'm doing the best I can but I am dependent on the books we found at an apothecary shop a few towns over. Plus my dad's more comfortable operating on animals than humans." I said with a chuckle.

"I will gladly take a look at her but I'm sure you guys did just fine on your own." Dakota said with a chuckle of her own before motioning to the dark skinned black guy standing at the back of the threesome. "Bob has medical training too. He's probably better in an emergency than I am but I'm sure we'll be fine all combined."

The guy of the group stepped forward begrudgingly. "I was an army medic actually. The names Bob Stookey." The man said as he held a hand out towards my father. "Thanks for allowing us to stay at your place."

"It's our pleasure and we only have a few rules around here." My Dad said as he shook Bob's hand before pulling him closer so he could have a somewhat private conversation with him. "Young man, I don't know what all you've been through and seen out there but I can smell the alcohol on your breath and I see that your eyes are bloodshot but there is no drinking if you choose to stay here. We all have to be alert and able to act at any moment. Alcohol only impairs your ability to do that. Plus, I used to have a drinking problem and don't allow it in my house or around my family." My Dad said softly to the man as he held a tight grip on his hand. The only reason I heard what he had said was because I was standing right next to him. "If you can't leave the booze alone then I will have to ask you to leave come tomorrow morning. Understood?"

"Understood." Bob said with a firm nod of his head before reaching into his bag with a shake of his head. "Maybe this is for the best." He whispered as he handed a bottle of brown liquid to my father.  
"I'll respect your home as long as you let the three of us stay here."

My Dad clapped Bob on the shoulder before handing me the bottle. "Take this in the kitchen to Patricia but do it discreetly. We don't need Bob's issues taking precedence over our more pressing issues." He told me as he nodded to Bob who smiled back gratefully.

"Okay."

~*~LUCKY~*~

Sitting on my twin size bed watching Daryl bring his ridiculously small amount of clothes into what was now our bedroom brought a smile to my face. "I think we may need to make a run for a bigger bed soon."

"Yeah, it's possible. I can always sleep on the floor though." He said softly as he placed his clothes in dresser drawer I had cleaned out for him while he had taken a shower.

I shook my head. "There is no way in hell you are sleeping on the floor in here. It may be a tight fit but we'll make it work until we can get us a bigger bed. Too bad we can just run to a furniture store and get a new one." I teased as he closed the dresser drawer.

He walked over to the bed until he towered over me. "I think ya just wanna tempt me." He growled as he leaned down to place a quick kiss to my lips. "Lucky, ya sure ya okay with this?" He whispered against my lips as his one hand came up to cradle the side of my face, his fingers stroking my cheek gently.

Nodding my head slightly I leaned up to take his lips with mine once again. "Yes. Go get the rest of your stuff."

With a chuckle he pecked my lips before pulling back from me. "Don't got much." He grumbled as he left the room for the one next door.

Trouble poked her head up onto the foot of my bed looking at me with her wide eyes and pointy ears perched on top of her head. Patting the blanket with a smile she climbed up onto the bed, crawling up it until she rested her head in my lap. "Are you ready for your bedtime bottle?" I asked her as I scratched underneath her chin softly. Having this bonding time with my pup was something I relished each and every day and I think Daryl did too but her need for supplements in a bottle was coming to an end quicker than I thought it would. It has been six weeks since we had found Trouble on the side of the road and she was at a healthy weight according to my Dad so we were in the process of weening her off the bottle and onto regular food. "We need to add dog food to our list when we go looking for a new bed." I told her as I grabbed the bottle off my nightstand. When she spotted the bottle her eyes almost lit up in excitement as she crawled up into my lap as I brought the bottle to her mouth. She brought her paws up to 'hold' the bottle as she relaxed into my chest. The suckling noises she made were just absolutely the best and nobody could stay mad or upset when they heard them.

I watched as Daryl brought his pack, vest, extra pair of shoes, crossbow, and extra arrows into the bedroom. "She stopped chasin' a rabbit the other day for a bottle." He said with a shake of his head as he deposited his pack into the bottom of my closet along with his shoes before toeing his own boots off next to the bedroom door. He then draped his angel wing vest over his jacket that he had hung on the chair at the desk earlier before propping his crossbow and extra arrows against the wall next to the bed. "It's my turn to take a watch tonight." He said as he stretched out next to me in the narrow bed. "Goin' tomorrow to get us a bigger bed."

"Sounds like a plant to me. I could use a break from preparing the garden beds or my arms could at least." I said with a chuckle as I stroked Trouble's ears as she sucked greedily at the milk in the bottle.

Daryl reached a hand over to rub the soft hair of Trouble's stomach. "We need to find this little girl some dog food along with us a bigger bed. Got any ideas?"

Leaning back against the headboard I held the bottle as Trouble chewed on the nipple of the bottle as if it was a chew toy. "We can check the feed store in town. Maybe we need to look for some chew toys too." I said as I tugged the bottle from her mouth to replace it with the rope Daryl tugged from his pocket.

"Nah, she'll just chew them up in no time. Rope or sticks work just fine." He said as he dangled the rope over the puppy as she tried to get it with her mouth and feet. "She's not meant to be a house dog, Lucky."

I laughed as I looked between him and the puppy. "Have you tried telling her that?"

He shook his head as he rested his head against my hip. "Maybe you're right."

Reaching over I ran my fingers through his hair as he played with the slowly tiring puppy. "Maybe I am."

We laid there in silence for a while with me running my fingers through his hair and over his shoulders and he played with the pup that was sprawled out in my lap. "Which shift you got?" I asked after a huge embarrassing yawn escaped me despite my efforts to keep it inside.

"Early mornin'. Rosita's gonna come get me." Daryl whispered as he sat up to scoop the sleeping pup from my lap to her bed in the floor.

Rolling over onto my side I scooted back against the wall so Daryl could have some room. "Can I come with you on watch? I want to take my turn on the wall. It's only fair."

Daryl nodded in understanding, like he usually did. "Of course but I guess it's time to call it a night then."

"Yeah." I mumbled already half asleep.

When the knock came knocking and it was still dark outside I pulled the blankets over my head as Daryl groaned beside me. "Come on, Lucky. It's our turn at watch." He grumbled as he climbed from the bed.

"Ugh why did I do this to myself?" I groaned as I tossed the blankets back on the bed.

"We're coming, Rosita." He called to the closed bedroom door as he began tugging on his layers of clothes meant to help ward off the chill of the day. "Come on, Lucky. No time to waste." He told me as he grabbed my foot tugging me from the bed.

Brushing my hair off my face I glared at Daryl as I placed my sock clad feet on the cold hardwood floor. "I'm up." I grumbled at him as I pushed myself up from the bed to grab my own layers of clothing.

Within minutes of waking up I was following Daryl down the stairs while loosely braiding my hair over my shoulder while our dog trailed behind us slowly. "I don't think Trouble likes you too well at the moment." I told him as we followed after him silently through the main floor of the house where most of our old common rooms were now makeshift bedrooms with curtains or blankets for doors.

Once Daryl helped me climb up onto the platform he lifted Trouble up to me before climbing up himself. After he settled himself into the chair he tugged me down into his lap so that I could rest my head on his shoulder with his crossbow resting across my lap and Trouble at his feet. "Let's signal the next platform." He whispered to my ear as he reached down to grasp the flashlight they kept there. We spent a few hours on the platform watching our side of the fence while Daryl told me the ins and outs of fence patrol. Once the second fence was completed and the rooms in between finished the platforms would be tore down since watch would be taken from the various rooftops.

"Are you going to take a space inside the walls?" I asked Daryl as the sky started to change colors. He was pacing back and forth on the platform while I sat in the chair we had both occupied when we first came out here. Trouble had long ago gotten bored with the monotony of sitting on the platform and abandoned us to chase frogs and grasshoppers in the grass.

He stopped his pacing to look over at me. "One night together and ya already tryin' ta git rid a me?"

I shook my head. "No but I know moving into my tiny childhood bedroom isn't your first option of a suitable space."

"Maybe _we_ " he paused to point to me and then at himself before continuing "and Trouble can take a space in the wall. They will be bigger than our current space and more private." He said with an exaggerated wiggle of his eyebrows.

"That is an added bonus. The house is getting really crowded with the more people we find but we can't just leave them out there defenseless just because we are running out of room to put them." I said as I laid down on the platform with my eyes closed. "I think I'll just stick to gardening if that's okay with everybody." I said tiredly.

Daryl chuckled as he knelt beside me. "Gotta get up early with the gardenin' too, Lucky." He whispered as he reached out to tap the end of my nose. "But it's your lucky day because I see Tyrese heading for our post. Maybe we can start takin' the late evenin' spots instead of early mornin'."

"That may be a lil better." I grumbled as I reached up to stroke his cheek. "Or maybe you can just do watches by yourself while I sleep in a bit." I teased as I leaned up to press a quick kiss to his lips.

"Whatever ya want, Lucky." He whispered as he pulled back from our kiss. Public displays of affection weren't big on his list of ideal things so I wasn't going to push him. But, little did he know that he showed more affection than he thought he did.

Tyrese tugged on one of my feet that was dangling off the end of the platform. "You two lovebirds ready to go get some grub?"

"Yes!" I cheered playfully.

Daryl and Tyrese helped me off the platform where Trouble began whining at my feet. "Come on girl, we can get you some breakfast too." I said to soothe the pup who wanted her bottle.

Tyrese shook Daryl's hand as they swapped places on the platform before Daryl fell into step beside me as we headed for the house. "Was thinkin' that we could go for a run after breakfast."

"Sounds good. We going by ourselves or taking others with us?" I asked as Trouble danced around our feet in excitement the closer we got to the house.

Daryl tugged playfully on my braid that trailed down my back. "Just us and maybe Trouble today. We'll do a scavenging run later for extra supplies. Let evryone make a list of what they need." When we reached the front door he grabbed my hand suddenly to tug me against his chest. "That okay wit' you, Lucky?" He whispered softly as he reached a hand up to brush my hair off my face.

I nodded as I wrapped my arms around his waist as I leaned into his body. "Perfect. Kiss me before we go inside?" I whispered as I looked up into his face to find his eyes dark and hooded which let me know he was on the same wavelength as me. Without waiting for his response I stood up on my tiptoes to press my lips against his. "Mmm." I moaned when his tongue swiped against mine urgently.

Daryl's hands slid down my waist to grip my hips as he wrenched his lips away from mine. "Lucky…"

Fisting my hands in his shirt I leaned fully against him. "Can I read it now?" I asked with a crooked grin on my face. The page he had written in my notebook was still folded and now covered by several sheets of paper filled with my own handwriting. I asked randomly if I could read what he had written but he always told me no. Or at least so far he has.

Predictably his grip tightened on my hips. "Maybe." He said with a smirk on his face and a raised eyebrow. "That better than a no?"

I playfully shoved him away from me with a growl. "No."

Snagging me by the back of my hoodie he tugged me back against his chest. "When the times right, Lucky." He growled in my air before releasing me.

Trouble whined pitifully at our feet snatching my attention from the playful yet serious conversation I was having with Daryl to her and her hunger. "You act like you're starving, little girl." I teased her as I reached down to tickle her ears before looking back up at Daryl. "Time is fickle these days, Daryl."

He tucked my hair behind my ear as he locked eyes with me. "I know. Bring it with us today."

I smiled brightly as I popped up to place a quick kiss to his lips. "Okay!"

After Daryl, Trouble, and I ate our breakfast with Jesus, Rick, and Sasha who had been on watch with us we went upstairs to grab our packs that always held the basics in case of an emergency so we could get going. I grabbed the notebook from my nightstand, stuffing it into my backpack before grabbing an extra jacket from my closet. "Okay, I'm ready."

Daryl grabbed his extra quill of arrows and my hand before leading us out of the house. Knowing we had to get big items we took a chance and drove the truck into town instead of leaving it on the outskirts and walking in. "Maybe we should check the houses on this end of town for a new mattress, blankets, and clothes?" I suggested to Daryl as we climbed from the truck in front of the feet store that was on the outskirts of town instead of on the main strip.

"Is there not a furniture store somewhere in town?" Daryl asked as he surveyed the street with his bow raised and ready.

I shook my head as I flexed my fingers on my knife. "No. We were just a small southern town, just a blip on the map." I explained as I pecked my knife on the window of the feed store, holding my breath as I waited for the walkers inside to come to the new noise. After several minutes of anxious waiting nothing came to the window or door so Daryl tried the doorknob, finding it unlocked.

"Ridiculous." He muttered as he pushed the door open with his foot so his hands were free to support the crossbow. We quickly and efficiently cleared the entire building, finding no walkers or human signs within the musty building. The store had been looted before but there was still plenty for us to take back with us. While Daryl grabbed several large bags of dog food, I grabbed cans of soft dog food to help the transition for our pup that we had decided to leave at home since she was napping after her morning bottle. I also raided the old cooler that sat along the back wall. I didn't know much about animal vaccines and medications but I figured it couldn't hurt to take them back with us for my Dad to go through them. "Beth, we gotta go!" Daryl called from the front door. "Now!" He said urgently.

Grabbing the plastic bags that I had began to fill once my backpack was full I hurried to the front door where I heard the shuffling of a pretty good size herd. "Go!" I called to Daryl as I raced for the truck we had left parked in the middle of the street. He shook his head quickly before letting go of the front door he had been holding open for me and racing towards the truck so he could get it started up. Keys were usually a thing of the past and this truck was no different, it was hot-wired. Just as the truck roared to life I yanked open the passenger door to climb in.

"We're gonna have to hide out to keep from leading them back to the farm." Daryl explained as he roared down the highway, in the opposite direction of the farm.

I nodded nervously as I turned around to look out the back window to see the massive herd rambling behind us, attracted to the noise of the truck's engine. "Where?" I asked anxiously. "How long?"

He made several sharp turns into the residential part of our tiny town looking frantically from side to side. "Gotta find a house to hole up in until they pass. Two stories are better."

"Turn left up at the next street and immediately make another right." I said directing him to a house that I thought would hold up to the herd that was gaining distance between our truck and them. I gripped the dash as Daryl quickly followed my instructions before skidding to a stop at a house that sat on top of a hill with a wooden fence all around it. "It's the Irons's vacation house." I explained as he reached for his crossbow before launching himself from the truck with me following behind him with our packs in my hands because it contained our food and water supply as well as a blanket each.

Daryl quickly shut the gate behind me as his eyes scanned the area rapidly. "Eyes open." He growled lowly. "Stay with me."

I nodded as I shouldered our packs with one against my chest and the other against my back to free up my hands. "I'm with you. Always." I whispered as I heard the shuffling and growling closing in on us. "Let's go."

Without even knocking on the exterior of the house Daryl immediately kicked in the door. Once through the door I shoved the door shut behind me as Daryl went about clearing the space. "Push furniture against the windows and doors. I'll clear the place."

I nodded as I shifted our packs to the floor just inside the front door before looking around the room to see what I had to work with. There were only two windows and the door in this room to cover shouldn't be too bad.

There were two couches that I immediately began the struggle of flipping them on their end so I could push them against the windows to block them. Once the first couch was in place my arms were trembling and I still had so much to do. Shaking my arms out I walked to the second couch, another sturdy leather monstrosity that was bound to be as heavy as the one I had just struggled to lift up. "Come on, Bethie, you've got this." I whispered to myself as I bent down to grip the bottom edge of the couch. "Deep breath and just do it." I said through gritted teeth as I took my own advice and began to lift the couch.

Once I had struggled the couch onto it's end I quickly spun the legs off so it would go flush to the window like the other one. Just as I was shoving the couch against the window frame Daryl came back into the room with a frown on his face. "Let's get this door secured and we'll hide upstairs until they mostly pass. We'll raid the place tomorrow. We're staying here for the night."

I nodded with a sigh. "Good, I'm exhausted now."

We pushed a desk and entertainment center against the door before Daryl grabbed our packs and led me upstairs. "We've got to be quiet so they'll continue walking." He whispered as he led me through what must be the master bedroom of the house and into the closet before going back to snatch the blankets and pillows off the bed in the bedroom. "Here, get comfortable. It's going to be a while." He said as he pulled the bathroom door shut.

Looking around the room I sighed at all the pretty clothes and shoes that would be fairly useless today before making a makeshift pallet in the back corner of the closet with the blankets and pillows. "Why are we hiding in the closet?" I asked Daryl softly as I sat down softly on the blanket.

"No windows, less noise transfer." He explained as he sat our packs down next to the blanket. "Now." He whispered to me as he nodded to my pack.

With wide eyes and a gasp I grabbed my backpack and pulled it into my lap. "It's not a sad goodbye note is it?" I asked as I dug through all the stuff I had gotten from the feed store to grab the notebook and pen from the bottom of my bag.

He shook his head. "Nah, just read it." He said as he leaned back against the door of the closet. "Use our flashlight."

I nodded as I pulled it from his pack so I could read his written words. Placing the small flashlight between my teeth I flipped to the folded piece of paper that had been taunting me for the past few weeks.

 _Lucky,_

 _I learned to survive a long time ago, younger than most. When I was a little boy I learned to survive my Pa by escaping to the woods. When I was a young man I learned to survive my brother's stupidity by doing the opposite of what he done. Then when the world fell I had to learn to survive all over again. Through all of that I never learned how to live._

 _You taught me that._

 _Your Pa gives me a fresh example of what a man is supposed to be like instead of the one I grew up with._

 _You gave me that._

 _I thought my heart was broken because all I've ever done is go through the motions of things. I've never been in a relationship because I thought I was a broken man. Now I am committed to you because my heart craves you._

 _You did that._

 _Love was never a good word I heard growing up. It's a word I've never uttered to another human being in my entire existence. Until now._

 _I love you, Lucky_

"I love you too, Daryl." I whispered as I swiped the tears from my cheeks.


	14. Chapter 14

**With over 500 cupcakes to bake for a local festival updates this week and next week are going to be slow coming. Plus, this is the last pre-written chapter I have so...yeah. It's not as if I'm truly encouraged to write these days. Oh well. Hope you guys like this chapter.**

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Chapter 14

The moments following my whispered confession and Daryl's written ones were spent with us just staring intensely at one another. Our eyes spoke volumes that we struggled to convey with out actual words. "Why now?" I finally whispered as I clicked the flashlight off and set it and my notebook on top of my backpack.

He stalked towards me before squatting down in front of me. "'Cause I wanted you to know." Daryl whispered as he reached forward to cup my cheek in his work roughened hand. "Just in case."

I shook off his hand as I glared at him. "Just in case I don't survive the herd of human eating corpses chasing us? Is that what you meant? That's morbid, Daryl. I'm not just some dead girl." My voice got louder the more irritated I became at his insinuation.

"That's not what I meant, Lucky. I meant in case neither one of us make it back to the farm. I will sacrifice myself to see that you make it back to our family." He growled as he gripped my face tightly in his hands, forcing me to look at him.

Gripping the front of his vest tightly in my hands I shook my head. "No, you won't. We are both going to make it back together. I can't go without you. I love you too much for that."

He pressed his lips tightly against mine in a rough passionate kiss. "Love you, Lucky." He growled against my lips as he lowered me down onto the blankets. "So damn much." He whispered as he stretched out beside me. "We're gonna make it." He mumbled between kisses as he trailed along my jaw and down onto my neck and behind my ear.

Tangling my hands in his locks I held on tightly as he made my body go crazy despite the fact that we were hiding for our lives in some stranger's closet. "Make love to me." I whimpered as I pulled slightly on his hair so that he would look at me. This is the first time I've made this request and I wasn't about to let him deny me just because the situation wasn't ideal. Hell, Maggie had lost her virginity in the eleventh grade to her boyfriend at the time and the act had happened in the backseat of his mom's car. Shawn had lost his in the woods behind our house his sophomore year to the head cheerleader who wanted to make her boyfriend jealous. Even before the world went to shit, first times weren't all that fantastic. Why should now be any different?

"Lucky…" he whispered as he pulled back to look at my face. "This ain't how I wanted this ta go." He whispered softly as he pushed a strand of my hair off my face.

I raised an eyebrow at him as I relaxed back into the pallet I had made for us. "Oh really? How exactly did you picture it going? In a house where there are over 20 people crammed in together listening to every little thing that goes on? In the hayloft of the barn like Maggie and Glenn so that it's obvious to everybody what we was doing? Or maybe one night while we're on watch? Or maybe beneath the stars on the roof of the house with a crying baby just beneath us? How exactly did you picture this going?" I asked as I got comfortable on the makeshift bed while he rolled my words over in his head. Folding my hands behind my head I crossed my ankles and began humming a tune that was stuck in my head while I waited patiently.

Daryl's eyes raked over my fake relaxed pose before suddenly jumping to his feet and racing out of the closet so quick I couldn't ask what he was up to so with a heavy sigh I began bouncing my foot to harmonize with my humming. "Herds passing around the fence."

"That's good." I said as I stared stoically at the ceiling without breaking the beat I was keeping with my foot. "Apparently the closet trick worked." I whispered as tears sprang to my eyes at his obvious dismissal of my request.

"Look at me!" Daryl growled as he clicked the closet door shut once again.

I snapped my face over to glare at him through the darkness but I didn't let the tears spill from my eyes because I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing my hurt manifest that way. "You've made your point. Forget I ever said anything." I snapped at him before biting my lips to keep from mouthing off anymore. The last thing I wanted to do was get into a heated argument when there were countless walkers outside wanting to eat us. Sending him one last glare as he stood there staring at me with his arms hanging down by his side I turned away from him, rolling over to face the wall.

"Lucky…" He started but finished with a heavy sigh.

The tears spilled from my eyes, despite my best efforts to keep them in, at the sound of his heavy sigh. It made it obvious that he didn't want to have sex with me right now, after he had allowed to read his heartfelt words he had written weeks ago in my notebook. I heard the closet door open along with Daryl's retreating footsteps which caused my chest to ache so I curled in on myself as sobs racked my body. Apparently I didn't take rejection very well.

I'm not sure how long I laid there before I cried myself to sleep but I woke with a start when an arm slid around my waist to pull me backwards. It only took me a few seconds to recognize the scent that had filled the closet once again. "Lucky, please lemme explain." Daryl begged softly as he rolled me onto my back before cupping my cheek gently in his palm as his thumbs stroked against my cheek.

"Why? I got the point earlier." I whispered as I attempted to bury my face in his chest because even though he had crushed my ego, I still loved him. And he offered me the only kind of comfort I wanted right now at the moment.

He held me firm with gentle unmoving hands. "Naw, ya got the wrong idea. Makin' love to ya is all I can think of these days but I ain't doin' it in some stranger's closet with walkers roamin' the streets below." Daryl growled as his thumb swiped the last of my tears off my face. "I ain't never made love ta anybody 'fore and I wanna take my time wit' ya."

"Oh." I gasped as true understanding finally dawned in my young brain. "I thought…"

Lips smashing against mine stopped my words instantly and all I could do to respond was tangle my hands in his hair and hang on for the duration of the assault. "Lucky, when we get there I wanna hear every sound you make. Loudly." He growled against my ear when we parted to catch our breaths. "But it ain't gonna be today and prolly not tomorrow either."

"Okay." I whispered as I pulled back to look at his hooded dark eyes, his arousal clearly visible on his face. "Where did you go earlier?"

Sliding his arm under my head he pulled me onto his chest as he rolled to his back. "To check downstairs and the street. The fence outside looks to be holding up 'cause the walkers are just passin' by insteada pushin' on it."

"Good. We stayin' here for the night?" I asked as I rested my cheek on his chest with his steady heartbeat underneath my ear.

"Prolly. The suns already fadin'. We still gotta bed ta find." He reminded me as he placed a kiss to the top of my head while his hand that wasn't wrapped around my back slid down my arm to thread with my fingers.

Leaning up to look at his face I smiled at him. "That one in there looks to be pretty nice."

Daryl chuckled. "It is. Ya think them scrawny arms a yours gonna be able to tote it?"

Slapping his chest playfully I rolled my eyes at him. "We're takin' it. These folks only came here twice a year to spend a week or two each time so the bed is practically new."

"The woman has spoken." He teased as leaned up to place a quick kiss on my lips. "We're takin' the bed."

Throughout the hours that we lay in the closet, Daryl got up occasionally to peek out the windows to check the surrounding roads and the double check the windows and doors downstairs. But because we had been quiet aside from soft talking most of the herd had passed by the house in search of the next meal. We spread out the rations we had packed in our packs but we were grateful when the darkness began to fade into light. "We gonna do the bed first or search the surrounding houses for supplies?"

"Search this house first but we gotta find bags first." Daryl grumbled as he twisted his torso to loosen his muscles from laying on the floor all night. I grimaced when multiple pops echoed in the space of the closet as I tugged the jeans and practical sweaters, t-shirts, and jackets from the hangers in the room. "I'll go find some bags."

I smiled at him as I scooped the clothes onto the blanket we had laid on before tugging the blanket into the bedroom so I could go through the dressers. Tugging open the top drawer of the long six drawer dresser that sat against one of the walls of the bedroom I felt my eyes go wide at what lay in the drawers.

"Find somethin' interestin' in that drawer, Lucky?" Daryl asked as he tossed several duffel bags onto the bed I was going to do my damndest to get down the stairs we had raced up yesterday.

Startled by his sudden experience I raised my eyes to the mirror to see him standing behind me with a smirk on his face. "Maybe, maybe not."

Through the mirror I saw Daryl's smirk actually turn into a grin. "Take 'em but keep 'em for yerself. It's rare that we find nice things like that." He said before turning his back to me to begin stuffing the clothes into the bags he had found. "There's a couple a kids rooms down the hall. I'll go grab those clothes."

By the time we finished scavenging through the house we had bunked in last night and the surrounding houses the sun was high in the sky. "Ready to head back?" I asked Daryl as we crammed two more bags beside the bed we had gotten for ourselves. We also scoped out more furniture that we could come back and get when the wall rooms were ready.

"Yeah. I 'spose ya Pa is anxious to see ya." He said with a shake of his head as he pulled his crossbow strap over his head so he could drive.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Finding more permanent spaces for the newcomers was harder than we had thought because the house was already full to the max but we managed to create them some semi-private areas. Since Shawn had been the oldest of us three kids he had gotten the biggest room upstairs so we had split his room in half with curtains tacked to the ceiling to create two spaces for Dakota and Lucy. The double bed that was in Shawn's old room was taken up to the attic to replace the two twin beds that Emily and Macey used since they were still little and siblings they could share the double bed for a little while. Bob offered to throw up his tent in the barn with Jesus and T-Dogg who agreed to make space for an extra tent. The twin bed that was in my room was set up in the living room to use for seating for the time being.

Flopping onto the new bigger bed that first night was absolutely heavenly. "Oh, I think I'm in love." I giggled as I watched Daryl sit in my desk chair checking his crossbow over for any weaknesses.

"With the bed?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded as I rolled over onto my side to face him. "Yeah, I've never slept in such a big bed before unless I crawled in with my parents." I giggled as I watched him concentrate on the task at hand. He was wearing sweatpants and a tank that to my delight showed off his muscles that were flexing with each movement of his hand. "There's even enough room for Trouble to join us in the bed." I joked as I spotted the growing pup laying at Daryl's feet with her head resting on the top of hi feet.

"Not funny. She can enjoy the dog bed we got her in the floor at the foot of our bed." He said nodding at the thick big pillow bed we had snagged from one of the houses we had looted. " _We_ are going to need every single inch of that bed to ourselves, Lucky." He growled at me as he turned his eyes briefly to catch mine as I lounged on the bed in the fading light of the evening. Soon we would have to light the candle we kept on the nightstand. Patricia had mentioned a few weeks ago that while we had a great supply of candles that we should start practicing at making our own. One of the books we had looted from the library in Dalton was about the multiple uses for animal fats such as candles, soaps, and balms. So now every animal that was brought onto the farm was meticulously butchered and stripped of all fat remnants and stored in a bucket that Patricia had in the freezer until she got enough to boil down.

My eyes widened as I looked at him. "But you said we wasn't having taking that last step in a house full of people." I gasped as I watched him through wide eyes as he propped the crossbow against the wall next to the bed that now took up the majority of the space in the room. Trouble grumbled playfully as she settled into her bed since Daryl had stood up forcing her head off his feet.

"Oh but, Lucky, there are so many steps between where we're at and that last step." He growled as he stood at the edge of the bed smirking down at me. "And those steps are much more fun when you've got a big bed." He said with a wink.

I couldn't help but smirk up at him as I rolled over onto my back, I hadn't felt comfortable wearing any of the things I had found on our trip so I was wearing my normal fuzzy pajama pants and a tank top, sans bra though cause they were just uncomfortable to sleep in. "Oh really? I've never done any of those steps before." I whispered back nervously.

He shook his head at me before snagging my hand and tugging me off the couch. "We'll get there, Lucky, but right now I could use a smoke an' I was hopin' ya would sing ta me."

"Of course. Let's go." I told him as I hopped off the bed to grab the guitar that I had finally gotten tuned just right. "I know the perfect song."

Since Trouble was sleeping and didn't follow us out of the room Daryl and I climbed up onto the roof with my guitar. Once we were settled firmly on the roof of the house I placed my guitar securely in my lap while Daryl stretched out beside me with his ankles crossed and one arm bent beneath his head while the other held the cigarette he had yet to light. "Whatcha gonna sing?" He asked softly as he turned his head to look at me in the fading darkness of the night.

I smiled over at him as I lightly strummed my fingers across the strings of the guitar sending a soft melody floating in the air. "Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden. Know it?" I asked with a soft smile on my face. "Shawn used to say it was the ultimate love song in her days."

"I've heard it a time or two." He said with a cocky smirk on his face. "Ya know ur voice travels in the quiet of the dark, right? I've heard you up here before when I was on watch." Daryl said as he nodded in the general direction of the platforms that was holding the ones who had taken the first round of watch.

Shrugging my shoulders I shifted my fingers to begin strumming out the sultry tune of the song as I took a deep breath and began singing for the man I loved.

 _I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy._

 _I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need._

 _I love you more with every breath, truly madly deeply do_

 _I will be strong, I will be faithful 'cause I'm counting on a new beginning._

 _A reason for living. A deeper meaning._

 _I want to stand with you on a mountain._

 _I want to bathe with you in the sea._

 _I want to lay like this forever._

 _Until the sky falls down on me_

 _And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky,_

 _I'll make a wish send it to heaven then make you want to cry_

 _The tears of joy for all the pleasure and the certainty._

 _That we're surrounded by the comfort and protection of_

 _The highest power, in lonely hours, the tears devour you_

 _I want to stand with you on a mountain,_

 _I want to bathe with you in the sea._

 _I want to lay like this forever,_

 _Until the sky falls down on me_

 _Oh can you see it baby?_

 _You don't have to close your eyes_

 _'Cause it's standing right before you._

 _All that you need will surely come_

 _I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy._

 _I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need._

 _I'll love you more with every breath, truly madly deeply do_

 _I want to stand with you on a mountain_

 _I want to bathe with you in the sea._

 _I want to lay like this forever._

 _Until the sky falls down on me_

 _I want to stand with you on a mountain_

 _I want to bathe with you in the sea._

 _I want to live like this forever._

 _Until the sky falls down on me_

As I strummed out the last of the melody I lay down next to Daryl with my head resting on his shoulder. "I love you." I whispered into the darkness of the night.

"Lucky, I didn't know what love was before you became an annoying pain in my ass." He said with a chuckle against my head. "Now I can't imagine going on in this hellish world without ya."

I slapped his chest at his playfully heartfelt words. "Good cause I'm gonna keep being a pain in your ass for as long as you will let me."

"Okay." He whispered as he pressed a kiss against the top of my head.

We hadn't been laying on the roof long when a huge yawn escaped from me causing Daryl to sit up. "Come on, Lucky, let's getcha ta bed."

I nodded in agreement as I sat up next to him. He eased off the roof with my guitar strapped to his back before helping me ease back down to the safety of the porch just as another yawn struck me. "Who knew moving furniture could be so exhausting."

Daryl pressed a kiss to the top of my head before guiding me through the door that led into the house. "I'll tradeya." He whispered as we eased down the hallway to our bedroom. Most of the guys on the farm spent their days either finishing the second fence, getting the wall rooms framed out, digging holes for the outhouses, or building the structures we needed built.

"No thanks." I muttered as he closed the bedroom door behind us, clicking the lock in place. Trouble lifted her head up from my pillow to look at me. "Trouble…" I whined because this was becoming a problem. Whenever we leave her in the room by herself she decides to make herself comfortable in our bed. "…get in your own bed." I told her as I snapped my fingers while pointing to her bed that sat at the foot of our bed.

Daryl propped my guitar against the wall while I glared at our dog who was refusing to move despite my glare, finger snaps, and firm words. "Trouble. Bed. Now." I turned my glare to Daryl when the dog immediately obeyed his three little words. He held his hands up in surrender as he pulls the blankets back on the bed. "Ready for bed?"

With one last glare at him and the dog who had settled down into her bed at Daryl's command I climbed into the bed. Scooting over until I was in the center of the queen size bed I rolled onto my side to watch Daryl climb in beside me.

~*~LUCKY~*~

I couldn't help but smile as Lori walked out of the house with baby Judith cradled in her arms. Carl had picked the name out when he had came in that afternoon to be introduced to his baby sister. "How are you feeling?" I called out to her as she gingerly descended the back-porch steps.

"It's amazing to be outside again! Who knew I would miss it?" She chuckled as she walked slowly over towards where Baylee and I were planting our plot in the garden. Baylee was planting lettuce and radish seeds while I was planting broccoli and beets.

Sitting back on my feet to give my back a break for a minute I scanned the perimeter of the fence to look for Daryl and Trouble and found them just where I thought I would. Helping cut out one of the last few 'doorways' to the inner walls. "How's your incision doing?" I asked as she edged slowly closer to where Baylee and I were working for the second day to get the garden planted. It had been nine days since my father had cut her stomach open so in my eyes it was a win just to see her up walking around with a newborn baby in her arms.

"It's good. Almost healed up. Dakota took the stitches out yesterday and made makeshift staples with tape strips so I'm just taking it easy to make sure the incision doesn't reopen. It happened with Carl and wasn't pretty at all." She explained as she shifted the sleeping baby in her arms. "This little girl is a miracle and gives me reason to take it easy and heal properly."

"That's good. How is your milk supply?" I asked curiously because I had heard Dakota and Patricia talking about maybe needing formula to supplement if her milk production didn't pick up.

Lori lowered her head. "Not good. It may be stress affecting it but I keep having her to nurse every hour on the hour to hopefully increase it. She's not starving but they don't think she's getting enough to gain the weight she needs over time."

"Maybe we need to make another run soon then. Try to find some formula to help the little girl out." I said just as Ian, who was laying in a basket in the shade of the house, let out a soft cry.

Baylee shook her head and pushed herself to her feet. "Snack time apparently." She chuckled as she wiped her hands on her jeans. "Miss Lori, I can try to feed Judith too. If you want?" Baylee asked softly as she reached out to stroke the cheek of baby Judith.

Lori looked at her gratefully. "Are you sure? Feeding one baby can be stressing but feeding two is going to be a whole lot worse."

"I'm sure. It would help me out too, I think. My boobs hurt so bad cause they are so full." Baylee explained with a shake of her head. "May I?" She asked motioning to the wrapped bundle in Lori's arms. Baby Judith was carefully transferred into Baylee's arms while Ian's cries just got louder from his basket. "Chill out, little dude, momma's coming." Baylee called out to him.

I watched as Lori helped Baylee get situated in the grass with both babies in her arms and her nursing blanket covering her exposed chest. Watching Lori and Baylee's facial expressions, I knew the instant that Lori spotted the burns on Baylee's upper torso and had to turn my head as they softly exchanged words as Baylee sat there nursing both babies.

To give both new mother's a bit of privacy I pushed myself up off the ground so I could go find Daryl and check on the progress of the fence and rooms. It was just Daryl, Lucy, Abraham, Jesus, and Kayden working on the rooms within the fences while Tyrese, T-Dogg, Aaron, Rick, and Rosita worked on the outdoor kitchen. Bob, Carl, Eric, and Andrea were digging holes for the new outhouses while my dad, Maggie, Glenn, Carol, Dale, Tara, Patricia, and Michonne were in the outer fields getting the wheat, corn, and alfalfa planted. Walking through the doorway I had seen him working in earlier I found Trouble laying on her side in the stamped down grass, snoring lightly. "Damn dog." I muttered under my breath as I looked around for Daryl

"Lucky, what are you doing out here?" Daryl asked as he stepped through the doorway of the almost finished exterior wall of one of the rooms.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Just wanted to check things out while Baylee and Lori tend to the babies. Plus I needed to stretch my back out for a few and figured a nice walk would do just that." I told him with a wink. "What are you working on in there?" I asked as I stepped through the doorway that still needed a door. "Oh wow!" I said as I got my first look at the inside of the wall rooms. The space was huge!

"Well I didn't expect that reaction." Abraham chuckled as he stepped through the only other doorway in the space. I knew from the drawings that it led to the adjoining room.

Spreading my arms wide I spun around on the wood plank floor. "I didn't expect all of this either." I said with a chuckle as I finished my spin. "This is amazing, you guys." Looking around the room I couldn't help but smile. "Who did the chinking?" I asked as I pointed to the plaster like material that was pushed between each of the fence logs to help keep the cold air out during the winter months.

"How you know that word, little songbird?" Jesus teased playfully as he and Kayden walked through the door together. They had came out as a couple just a short time ago and looked to be a good match though options were limited in the world we lived in these days.

"Songbird, huh?" I teased back with a bright smile.

Jesus nodded. "Yep, heard you all the way over at my platform the other night. Ain't the first time but just took me a few weeks to figure out who was serenading us in the dark hours." He explained with a wink. "Ain't the worst I've ever heard."

"Thanks." I grunt with an eyeroll. "And I know about chinking because I used to watch those barn shows on TV with my momma."

All the guys in the room chuckled, paying no attention to my red cheeks or rolling eyes. "You boys stop embarrassing that young woman right now." Lucy said as she walked into the room with a sense of ownership. "Hi Miss Beth, come to give us a hand today?" She asked me softly. Having her, Dakota, and Bob on the farm felt natural and they had immediately started pitching in to help with our daily chores and projects.

I shook my head. "No ma'am. Just taking a break from the garden and figured I would venture out here to check on the progress."

"Anxious to move out of the big house and into a space of your own?" She whispered softly as she leaned towards me.

Looking her in the eyes I smiled and nodded. "Absolutely."

"Well this is house 10 and it's just about finished so according to the plans you guys all drew out we've only got two more to go but we're running low on the lumber we need to frame up the walls." She explained with a smile. When she had told us she was an architect we gave her the job of looking over the already constructed structures and giving the final thumbs up or down on them. "So that means another run is going to be needed in the next day or so. We also need more doors and a few more windows. Daryl has the list." She said before clapping her hands at the men standing around enjoying the small break I had caused. "Now, boys, back to work."

I laughed at them before I headed for the doorway that led to the greenspace between the set of room but I didn't make it out of the room before Daryl snagged my hand to halt my progress. Looking up at him with wide shocked eyes because he normally didn't like any kind of public displays of affection. "You okay?" He whispered as his eyes searched my face for the answer to his whispered question.

Smiling at him I decided to shock him by popping up on my toes quickly to press a kiss to his stunned lips before escaping the room as Abraham began teasing Daryl about the shade of his ears. Trouble had perked her ears up at the raucous noise coming from inside the almost completed room. "Come on girl, you can go lounge with baby Ian." I called out to her as I slapped the side of my leg. With an exaggerated yawn and stretched she eased up onto her long legs and began ambling my way. "You would think that you love him more than you love me. And I'm the one that rescued your butt from the side of the road, not him." I grumbled as we eased our way back to the gardens.

"You'll pay for that little stunt, Lucky." Daryl called out when I was about ten foot from the fence structure.

Turning around to walk backwards I smirked at him before pressing my fingertips to my lips in preparation of a blown kiss. With a little blow against my fingers I spun around and began running to the other side of the house, giggling the whole time. "Now that's a sound I ain't heard in a long time." Patricia said from the back porch as I rounded the end of the house. "It's nice to hear it on your lips again."

Skidding to a stop I looked at her with a confused look on my face. "You can thank Daryl for it later. What are you doing back? Did something happen?" I rattled nervously because she had been working outside the fences with my dad, sister, and some others.

"Everything is fine, my dear. Glen was a sweetheart and escorted me back home so that I could get started on dinner." She explained with a shake of her head though a smile stayed on her face the entire time. "Apparently he has gotten spoiled to having two good meals a day and doesn't want to miss any."

Giggling I stepped up onto the porch beside her. "I can take care of dinner tonight if you are too tired from planting all day." I offered as I watched Trouble settle on the blanket next to Ian with her head resting on her paws, eyes wide open and alert. "Be gentle, Trouble." I told her in the firm voice that Daryl had taught me to use with her. We wanted her to learn to protect the kids of the farm but also know how to be gentle with them.

"I've got dinner, sweetheart. I may be old but I'm still capable of cooking dinner for this massive crew we've amassed. Though someone will eventually have to take over the cooking responsibilities. I ain't gonna be around forever, you know?" She said as she patted me on the shoulder before going on inside the house.

When I heard the gates creak open I finally relaxed a little bit because it meant the rest of my family was safely back within our protective walls. Keeping up with my Dad's tradition of greeting people at the old oak tree in in our front yard I stood from where I was kneeling by the garden's edge and made my way to the front of the house where I saw Glenn pull the truck they had taken to the outfields this morning into the driveway. "Hi Daddy!" I called out to him as he climbed from the passenger seat of the truck.

He laughed as he smiled over at me. "Hi Bethy, things go okay here today?" He asked as he shut the truck door with dirty hands. Planting the massive fields outside our fences were a lot of work but at least we salvaged enough diesel to operate a tractor to disk the soil. Though the planting and covering of the seeds had to be done 100% by hand.

I nodded as I came to a stop beside him just as Maggie climbed from the middle of the truck seat. "Yeah, we got a lot of planting done here too and we only have the final two rooms in the walls to go until folks can start finding stuff and moving in. We also got another outhouse pit dug and the kitchen is just about finished." I rattled off everything I had found out today while I was running around 'taking breaks' from the garden while Baylee just chuckled at me and kept planting.

Maggie shook her head as she walked past me. "Little Miss Overachiever!" She cackled as she tugged on the end of my braid.

"Not!" I called back to her. "I just want things to get finished before the crops really need all of our attention." I explained to my dad as we fell in a slow walk towards the house.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It's good that you are taking initiative because one day this place will fall into the hands of you and your sister. Then it will be up to you two to grow this place and keep it running. You both did good today. Now about these rooms in the walls…" He trailed off with a pointed look towards the 'doorway' that Daryl was leaning in watching me.

"What about them?" I asked as we came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs that led into the front of the house. "We have to go on a run tomorrow for some more supplies to finish out the last two but then it will just be furnishing runs. We have all summer to find heaters for each space but we need to at least get beds, dressers, and rugs for each space. Maybe a table and some chairs for each too." I rattled on as my eyes bounced from my dad to Daryl and back. "Daryl has the list of things we need to get but I'm guessing we should be able to get most of it tomorrow or possibly two days at most I—"

Placing a dirty palm against my mouth effectively stopped my ramblings mid-sentence. "That's all fine and dadny, Bethie, but that's not what I was wanting to know." He explained as he removed his hand with a raised eyebrow. "Are you and Daryl planning on taking a room like your sister and Glenn?"

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline and my jaw dropped to my chest. "Um, he's mentioned it." I mumbled as I chanced a glance at Daryl, only to find him frowning in my direction. He must have caught my surprised reaction to my dad's question and is worried about me or the situation.

"Seems I may need to have another take with that young man then." My dad said with a firm nod of his head.

Folding my arms across my chest I glared at my father. Yes, glared. "You will do no such thing, Dad. I will not marry him just out of some ancient sense of honor you have and I won't have you pressuring him into doing something he isn't comfortable with. He makes me happy and I make him happy. Isn't that enough for you? He makes me feel alive again. Patricia pointed out today that I was giggling again, something I haven't done in a long time."

"Okay." The old man said softly before pressing a kiss to the side of my head, climbing the steps into the house, and leaving me standing there gawking after him in shock.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Sorry folks, my computer decided to take a swim in my kitchen sink as I was reading recipes off of it so for the time being I am borrowing a laptop to continue this story. Updates will be slow going but they will be coming. Just please don't give up on this story of mine. Big moves in this chapter!**_

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Chapter 15

"Lucky, what are you doing?" Daryl asked as I tugged his shirt over my head and towards him as he lay stretched out on our bed in nothing but a pair of low slung sweat pants. He caught the shirt in his hands as he gaped at me as I stood there in nothing but my loose fitting pajama bottoms and a sky blue all lace bralette that was only half of the set I had slipped into after my shower.

I smirked at him as I slid my fingers inside my pajama bottoms I had slid on to cover the matching impractical sexy panties I had pulled on after my shower. "Trying to take that next step you seem so hesitant to take with me." I whispered as I shoved my shorts over my hips to reveal the matching all lace blue hipster panties. "You won't take my clothes off so I'll just do it for you." I teased as the shorts fell in a pool around my ankles.

"Lucky…" Daryl growled as his eyes darkened and his sweats tented.

With a broad smile on my face I climbed onto the bed and began crawling up his body until my hands rested next to his hips. "I'm ready, Daryl. Stop coming up with excuses, okay?" I whispered as I sat back on his knees as my hands slid up onto his bare abdomen to tease the line of skin above the edge of his sweats. "Not all the way, of course, cause I know we're waiting until we move out of the big house to do that. But I want your hands on me." I rambled nervously as I gripped the edge of his pants to tug them down his long legs.

He lifted his hips to help me in my endeavor to undress him while his eyes stayed locked with mine. "No sex, Lucky." Daryl growled as I tugged his pants off his ankles, tossing them to the floor to join my pajamas.

"Okay." I whispered as I crawled back up his body until our faces were even and I was stretched out on top of his scantily clad body. "I love you." I whispered against his lips.

Sinking his fingers in my hair he rolled us over so that I was flat on my back and he was stretched out beside me. "Oh, I love you too, Lucky."

Within minutes I was gasping as Daryl slid his fingers just beneath the edge of my panties. "Daryl, please…" I begged, not sure what I was begging for I just knew my body was searching for something.

He simply shook his head at me as he slid his fingers deeper beneath my panties and into my curls that were damp with my wetness. "Quiet." He growled just before bending down to take my bare nipple into his mouth.

I bit my lip tightly as he wreaked havoc on my body. "Daryl." I breathed out as he slid his fingers to the one place on my body that had never been touched by anyone other than myself.

Releasing my swollen nipple with a pop he captured my lips with his as his fingers slid through my wetness causing me to bite his lip and bow my body off the bed simultaneously. He smothered my moans and groans with his lips as his fingers worked me over until stars exploded behind my eyes. The smirk on his face when I finally came back to earth was undeniable. "Don't be cocky." I muttered as I turned on my side so that we were laying face to face. "Can I return the favor?" I whispered as I trailed my fingertips over his bare chest.

He captured my fingers in his as he looked at me seriously. "You don't have to." Daryl whispered as he pulled my fingers to his lips to place a gentle kiss to the tips. "This was about you, not me."

I shook my head as I shoved playfully against his chest to 'force' him onto his back as I straddled his legs once again. "Why can't it be about both of us? I've never done anything like this before but I want to try." I whispered as I placed a gentle kiss to his lips before scooting down to trail my kisses across his chest. Before I could get too far down his chest a knock sounded on our bedroom door. "Lights spotted, guys! Tyrese seen headlights from his post and says they're moving in this direction!" Rosita called from the other side of the door.

Without second thought I climbed off Daryl's straining body and began pulling on some clothes. Quickly. Daryl followed suit without a moments hesitation until he zipped up his jeans. "This is gonna suck." He grumbled as he reached into his jeans to readjust his hardness.

Grabbing Daryl's crossbow I handed it to him as I grabbed my knife and gun from the top of the desk to tuck into my jeans. "Let's go." I told him as I yanked open the bedroom door while he whistled at Trouble to give her the signal that actual trouble was heading our way. He had been working with her and my dad to teach her different signals for a few weeks now and she was slowly picking them up.

The three of us clambered down the stairs as everyone else followed behind us with their weapons on them. "Let's spread out and get to our spots." Daryl said with a nod at everybody before yanking open the front door to let everyone file out into the yard while Patricia and my Dad stayed in the house with the babies, Emily, Carl, and Macey. When everybody except us had gotten outside he knelt down in front of Trouble who sat next to him with her ears perched high on her head. "You stay in here and help guard the babies, okay?" He whispered to her as he scratched her under her chin. I couldn't help but chuckle when she leaned forward to lick along Edward's cheek causing him to cringe. "Good girl. Be quiet but be fierce." He told her before he stood up, grabbed my hand, and led us out the door.

I followed Daryl silently because I knew we had to be quiet and quick. When we had started readying the soil outside our fences we had come up with a plan in case something like this happened. Seven of us were going up on the roofs of the fence room structures and over the fences to post up in the trees around the property while the rest of the people were to take positions around the farm, in the barn, on the fence roof platforms, and on the roof of the main house. Sasha and Rosita were our 'snipers' so they were posted on the roof of the house and in the loft of the barn while the rest of us split the positions up.

Once Daryl and I raced inside the green space between two of the rooms in the fences he reached above the front door and pulled down a rope that was hidden. "Come on, climb up." He told me as he pressed a hand to my back. "Trust me." He whispered in my ear as he gripped the sides of my waist to help me climb the old school rope ladder.

"Always." I whispered back as I climbed the makeshift ladder until I could leverage myself on the roof one leg and arm at a time before turning around to look at Daryl as he slung his crossbow onto his back so he could climb onto the roof. I looked around and spotted the others climbing onto the roofs closest to their selected posts on the outside of the fence. Once Daryl joined me on the roof he surveyed the area around us before climbing over the edge of the fence. There was a single 'step' halfway down the wall but we had already discussed that he would go first and help me down so that I didn't hurt myself. Peering over the edge once I saw his hands disappear from the top of the fence I knew he had landed on the ground but once I saw him look up at me I sat on the top ledge and threw one leg over before sliding down the outer surface until my foot found the depression in the wood that served as the 'step. I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt Daryl's hands on my legs.

"I gotcha. Come on." He urged me quietly.

I let go of the fence and trusted Daryl to get me to the ground safely. And he didn't disappoint. Pressing a kiss to the back of my head once my feet were securely on the ground he released me and pulled his crossbow back into his hands before stalking off silently into the woods to the tree I was going to be perched in. Once we made it to 'my' tree Daryl clasped his hands so I could use them as a step to hoist myself up onto the lowest limb before climbing a bit higher. "I love you." I whispered to Daryl as I placed my foot in his hands while I placed my hands on his shoulders.

"I love you too, Lucky. Don't come down until I come get ya okay?" He grumbled as he leaned forward to press a quick kiss to my lips.

I nodded as I pressed another kiss to his lips. "Be safe." I whispered as I jumped up using his hands to boost me onto the limb.

"Always."

As he walked away to go take his perch a few yards away I climbed higher in the tree so that I could see over the wall and onto the farm. Once I got up high enough I could see the entirety of the farm as well as the flicker of lights in the distance. Our farm was located several miles out of town down a few miles of dirt roads but with the absence of traffic these days our tracks were easily tracked if someone took the time to look at them. I waited anxiously on my limb for what felt like hours but was most likely less than an hour because the moon hadn't moved too much in the sky but eventually the headlights landed on our front gate causing me to gasp in shock that someone had actually pulled to our front gates. We had been safe on the farm up until this point with only the one encounter at the house in town but nobody had actually found our farm until just now.

I listened closely to see if I could catch Tyrese and Abraham talking to the newcomers but I couldn't hear anything but the chatter of the nighttime critters which could both be a good thing and a bad thing. It meant that nobody was moving through the woods around me but it also meant that I was clueless on my perch in the tree. My breath lodged hard in my throat when I saw the outer gate being opened. Something must have happened but I couldn't tell if it was something good or something bad from where I was at but I didn't dare move from my spot. I just watched with anxious eyes as the headlights suddenly cut off, on the outside of the gates, and the outer gate was opened then shut back. I breathed a little easier when I didn't see the inner gate open because that meant my family and friends were safe for the time being.

Lucy had suggested we build small rooms, four of them, on either side of the driveway for any newcomers so we could get a could judge on them while keeping them safe also. The 'keeper' rooms as they had been sparsely furnished but they served their purpose on keeping people safe without putting our family and friends in danger. While I watched anxiously from my perch I could only hope that the newcomers were receptive to the idea of staying in the small rooms for a few days until we could all form an opinion on them and see if they fit in with our bunch. Now that we had babies on the farm and little kids we had stepped up our game to keep them and all of us safe from the dangers of the cruel world we lived in these days.

As I sat on my branch the moon continued to move across the sky and just as it reached it's highest peak I heard someone or something near my tree and knew it wasn't any of our group because we had bird whistles for signals instead of approaching silently. Narrowing my eyes at the moon illuminated forest beneath me, I pulled my gun with the silencer attached from the waistband of my jeans and clicked the safety off silently.

I had tossed on dark clothes and hid my blond hair in a dark taboggan so I was practically invisible on my branch which was going to work in my favor as I searched the area around me for the noise that had caught my attention a few minutes ago. Breathing as shallowly as possible I scanned the area once more as I heard some leaves crunch to the left of me. Finally, I spotted a young man and a little boy approach our wall slowly. "Bubba, I'm sleepy." The little boy who couldn't be more than three or four whined as he stepped on a limb causing it to snap.

"Jonah, watch where you're going. I'm trying to find us somewhere safe to sleep for the night. I saw them car lights a while ago but I don't see them anymore but there's a fence." The older guy, who couldn't be more than seventeen or eighteen, rambled as he picked the little boy up onto his shoulders. "Just please be patient and quiet so we don't get attacked again. Lay your head on top of mine and close your eyes."

"Okay, bubba. I miss momma." The little boy whispered as he placed his head on top of his brothers.

I watched in silence with tear filled eyes as the older brother reached up to squeeze his little brothers hands. "I know, buddy, I do too but she would want us to keep going. She died so we could get away. Just remember her as a brave woman who would do anything to protect her kids. She loved us so much, Jonah."

"I know." The little boy slurred sleepily. "Love you, bubba."

"I love you too, bub."

Taking a deep breath I lowered my gun and watched as the older brother approached the wall put his hand against it before taking off walking with his hand trailing along the logs we had painstakingly placed. "There's got to be a main way in. Let's just pray that these are nice people."

Before they got to far away from me and too close to Daryl I let out the whistle that let Daryl know someone was coming. When he whistled back I let out a high-pitched whistle which meant I didn't they were dangerous. Within minutes I heard a loud gasp and a cry that sounded like it came from the littlest boy. Heeding, Daryl's earlier words I stayed on my perch but strained my eyes to see what was happening in Daryl's area of the woods. It wasn't long before I saw two tall figures approaching me with a third form held firmly against one of the bodies. "Lucky, the boy fell and bumped his head pretty good. We can't get him to wake up." Daryl whispered up to me as he held his arms up for me.

"Oh God." I gasped as I quickly scrambled from my branch and to the ground with Daryl's help.

When I dropped to the ground just in front of the other tall figure I saw his eyes go wide as he realized I had been up there the entire time he had been talking to his little brother a few minutes ago. "You were…" He stuttered but stopped and shook his head. "Please save him. He's all I got left." He sobbed as he pressed a kiss to the top of his little brother's head.

"Let's get them over the fence and at least onto the rooftop." I told Daryl as I headed for the fence without waiting for his approval. If he thought they were a danger to us or ours then he never would have brought me down out of the tree. It took all three of us adults to get the little boy safely up onto the roof without further injury but once we got up there I quickly scampered down the rope ladder to grab some of the medical supplies I had stored inside the still unfurnished cabin.

When I climbed back onto the roof I heard Daryl asking the boy questions, basically interrogating him. "Why are you out walking in the dark with a toddler?" He growled as he ran his hands over the little boys body, checking for broken bones I assumed or maybe marks of abuse since that is something he would recognize easily.

The older young man sat back on his heals and hung his head. "There's a massive herd a few miles back heading this way and the group my family was with got overwhelmed and we got all separated. Our mom sacrificed herself so that Jonah and I could run away. She had hurt her knee pretty badly a few days ago so we had all holed up in some house but the herd basically busted straight through the walls when Jonah's toy had accidentally got kicked and turned on. I grabbed Jonah and took off running as the biters tore my mom to pieces while she screamed at me to go and that she would always love us." He sobbed as he bent over in his fresh grief.

I narrowed my eyes at Daryl as I gently cradled the little boys head in my hands to check for any type of gash or open wound. All I found was a fairly good size bump on the back of his head. Which meant that he most likely had a concussion and the most important thing was to get him to wake up. Quickly. I began patting his cheek with one hand and balling my fist up and rubbing his chest roughly with the other hand. "Jonah, come on buddy, wake up for us." I pleaded with the little guy as I applied rough pressure to his chest like my dad had taught me months ago. The pain would usually bring them back conscious.

Fairly quickly the little boy gasped as his eyes snapped open wide. "Bubba?" He whined immediately which spurred the older brother from his grief and to his little brothers side.

"I'm right here, Jonah. You scared me." The older brother, whose name I had yet to learn, whispered as he pulled Jonah into a tight hug as he looked over at me and Daryl with gratitude clearly shown on his face. "I don't how I can ever repay you or thank you enough for saving him but thank you so much. My name is Nathan Spivey and this is my little brother Jonah." He whispered as he held one shaking hand out towards me.

I took his hand in mine and squeezed it. "I'm Beth Greene. How good are you at manual labor?" I asked as I released his hand.

~*~LUCKY~*~

In the days since the 'alarm' had been raised we had taken in not only Jonah and Nathan Spivey but also Ryan and Mika Samuels, a father-daughter duo, and Karen Ponzio, a woman in her mid-30's. We still stuck to the rule of making any strangers staying in the 'keeper' rooms though we made them a little more comfortable since they had little kids with them. Since there were four 'keeper' rooms we let them pick their own to settle in while we made our decision. We used the gate platforms to keep a watch on the newcomers also but so far they had been anything but trouble.

Today was the day we all sat down to discuss whether we allow them to stay. We had stuck to our work schedules the past few days with the newcomers working the outer fields and not being allowed through the second wall just yet. Nathan had been blindfolded with Jonah's face buried in his shoulder as Daryl and I had guided him across the farm and to the keeper rooms. Ryan, Karen, and Nathan had all readily pitched in and worked just as hard as the rest of us and took direction from Carol, Abraham, and my Dad easily.

"So what we gonna do?" Tara asked as we all sat around the porch since the house was getting crowded when we had these meetings. Plus it was a beautiful spring evening outside and we had ice cold lemonade to sip on while we had this meeting. "Can any of you really put those kids back out there while knowing what it's like out there? We all ran here for a reason and that reason ain't changed any." She said with a shake of her head. "I vote they all stay."

I stuck my hand up quickly. "I agree. They stay."

As I looked around at the people that had become my family I smiled as I watched all their hands go up too. It was set. They were staying. "We're gonna need to get those rooms furnished. ASAP." I giggled as I leaned into Daryl's side.

"Yeah, like in the morning." Daryl said as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "We'll take a convoy and gather some furniture for the rooms. We'll mainly need beds. Everything else can be picked up randomly at later dates."

That's when the discussion turned to the run that was happening suddenly the next morning. "I'm coming with." I told Daryl as we leaned against the side of the house with his crossbow stretched across his lap as he plucked at the strings to check them.

"No, you're not."

I turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. "Excuse me?" I snapped. "Care to explain that a little further?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Maggie stand up from where she and Glenn had been sitting in the porch swing next to where Daryl and I had sprawled on the porch floor. She grabbed Glenn's hand and tugged him along behind her as they escaped the porch. The others around us followed their lead as I sat up straight and turned to face Daryl with my legs crossed between us and my knees resting against his leg.

Daryl stopped picking at his crossbow to cup the side of my face. "Lucky, after almost getting overrun last time and listening to Nathan's story the other night I just would prefer for you to stay here where I know you're safe." He whispered to me as he caressed the side of my face softly with stroking fingers.

Shaking my head I leaned forward to place a kiss to his lips quickly. "Silly man, I'm coming with you because you'll just be distracted if we're not together and that's my worst nightmare. I'm coming and that's that."

"Okay." He acquiesced with a heavy sigh and shake of his head. "Damn woman."

I simply smiled at him broadly as my Dad and Patricia laughed from the rockers on the other end of the porch. "You love me."

"I do. Let's go take Trouble for a walk." He said as he pushed up from his spot before holding a hand down to help me up.

As he helped me up my Dad called out to him. "Don't be upset that she got her way, son. She has a way of getting whatever she wants. Always has. I guess that's part of her charm." He said with a chuckle as he rocked gently in the fading evening light of the day.

"I should be used to it by now." He said good naturedly as we walked off the porch hand in hand with Trouble trotting along between us with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. "But I love her anyways." He whispered as we walked down the driveway towards the gates. Daryl normally took her outside the gates at least once a day to keep her sense sharp and sometimes if I wasn't busy in the garden I joined them.

As we approached the first set of doors we spotted Bob and Sasha up top on the platforms keeping watch over the newest folks that starting tomorrow would become an official part of our farm homestead. "I think they're sweet on one another." I commented to Daryl as we slid the gate open enough for the three of us to slide through.

"Is that a good thing?" He asked as he pulled the gate shut behind us.

I shrugged but smiled at him as we stepped into the interior space between the walls that held the 'keeper' rooms. The only bad thing about this space was that there was no outhouse in the space so the people were having to use a bucket with a toilet seat attached to the top but they made no complaints about dumping and cleaning it throughout the day. "Miss Beth! Miss Beth!" Mika and Jonah called out when they spotted us walking down the driveway.

I dropped to my knees and embraced the two cheerful kids as Trouble licked each of us on the cheeks causing the kids to giggle uncontrollably and me to squint at the dog. "Hey Kiddos, y'all having fun out here?" I asked them once the hugs and kisses were finished.

"Yeah, Mister Hershel and Macey brought us some toys to play with yesterday." Mika said with a bright smile. "I really like the barbies and Jonah likes the building blocks."

"That's great! I've had the barbies since I was a little girl so just take care of them, okay? That way we can pass them down to the other little girls that come along." I explained because toys were hard to come by these days so it was best we take care of them so that the future generations could enjoy them as well.

Mika nodded and Jonah immediately followed suit. The kids were sweet and deserved a place like our farm to grow into the adults they were capable of becoming. I'm glad we had come to the decision to allow these kids and three adults to join our small homesteading community. "Yes ma'am."

Standing back up I ruffled both of their heads as I stepped next to Daryl. "Okay, well we're gonna go let Trouble run off some energy before bedtime okay? You guys be good because I think Miss Patricia has a treat she's gonna bring you two in a little bit, alright?"

They both nodded before waving at us and dashing back to the small rooms they had been staying in the past few days. Nathan stood leaning in the doorway of one little room while Ryan stood a few feet outside of his and Mika's little room. Looking at the other two little rooms I didn't see Karen anywhere but waved at the two men before Daryl shoved the outside gate open so our trio could slip through. Trouble immediately stuck her nose the ground to sniff out an animal trail and it wasn't long before she picked up on something and took off after it. Daryl and I followed along silently behind her. By the time we made it back to the gates Daryl had a small buck slung over his shoulders while I had Trouble's rabbits tied to a rope hanging from my belt loop. Since it was getting late Daryl had decided to not field dress the animals while we were out. We would just skin and gut them once we got back inside the gates. "I bet we have deer steaks for breakfast in the morning."

"Prolly." Daryl grunted as he gripped the edge of the gate to tug it open for the last time before it was locked into place for the night. "We gonna need a good breakfast for the run tomorrow."

I nodded as I ducked under his arm through the gate with Trouble trailing behind me. The poor thing was tired from chasing and catching her five rabbits that would undoubtedly either go in the freezer or a meal for tomorrow. "Yeah, moving furniture is tough."

Later that night as I walked into the bedroom from taking my shower I spotted Daryl sitting at the desk writing in one of journals once again. "What are you doing, handsome?" I asked as I tossed the towel into our laundry basket to pick up my brush to get the tangles out before bed.

"Writing ya a note. But I ain't ready for ya' to read it yet." He said as he continued to scrawl in my notebook. I knew he would fold the page in half when he was done and he knew I wouldn't unfold it until he told me to.

Turning away from where he sat at the desk I faced the mirror to brush out my long locks that reached the lower half of my back now. "I think I need to cut my hair soon." I muttered out loud as I pulled a section to the front to work all the tangles out.

Suddenly Daryl was behind me, scowling at me in the mirror. "Why ya wanna cut it?" He growled as he pulled the brush from my hand to run through my hair for me as I watched him with wide eyes in the mirror. "It's beautiful long like this." He whispered as he pulled the brush through the locks he held in his hand. "Don't cut it."

"Okay." I whispered as I caught his heated gaze in the mirror.

By the time he tossed the brush back onto the dresser his eyes were almost completely black as were mine. Who knew that him brushing my hair would turn out to be such an erotic thing. "Lucky…" He growled into the mirror.

Spinning around to face him I reached forward to grip the edge of his sleep tank to tug it up and over his head. "Daryl…" I groaned when I tossed the tank to the side.

He suddenly bend down to toss me over his shoulder before tossing me onto the bed causing me to giggle as the bed bounced beneath me. "You ready for this Lucky?" Daryl growled as he gripped the edge of my tank top and tugged it roughly off of my body with my help. I wasn't wearing a bra so I was bare from my waist up as was Daryl.

I nodded as I bit my lip while he stood at the foot of the bed with a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Yeah."

"There's no turning back from this so you best be completely sure." He growled as he gripped the edge of my shorts and panties in his fist.

"I'm ready but are you?" I asked as I raised my hips up off the bed to give him an easier time in tugging the rest of my clothes off.

His response was to tug the remainder of my clothes off in one tug before tugging his boxers and basketball shorts off his own hips. "I can't wait anymore, Lucky."

"Good." I whispered as I crooked a finger to beckon him to me. "Come to me, Daryl. Now."

Placing his hands on either side of my body he crawled up the bed until he was eye to eye with me then he lowered his naked body down on top of mine for the first time ever. I groaned as I wrapped my arms and legs around his body, locking us together. "Oh God." Daryl groaned as he rotated his hips against mine letting me feel his excitement while he felt my slickness. "This is gonna be quick, Lucky, I'm sorry." He groaned as he reached a hand down to grasp his hardness before bringing the head to my slick folds to spread my wetness around. My back arched off the bed as he swiped his swollen head against my swollen nub, over and over.

"Daryl, please!" I begged as I tipped my hips in an attempt to get him to enter me instead of playing around. I wanted the whole deal and was done with his teasing. We had been fooling around since we had reached the next step a week ago.

Pressing his forehead against my shoulder he placed his erection against my folds before pushing his forward the tiniest bit causing me to gasp as he entered me for the first time. His hands came up to brace on either side of my chest as his mouth trailed from my shoulder down to my bared breasts where he took my hard nipple into his mouth. "Patience, Lucky."

I shook my head as I squeezed my legs around his hips causing him to slam forward into me from the unexpected move and causing me gasp as a shock of pain spread through my lower half. "Oh!" I gasped as I looked up at Daryl wide eyed.

He pressed a kiss to my lips. "I was tryin' to prevent that from bein' so bad." He whispered as he drew his hips back out, almost all the way before easing back in. I gasped in a good way as he slid back inside me. The pain was replaced with an indescribable feeling that caused my stomach to clench in a good way. "You okay?"

Pressing my legs tightly against his hips I looked up at him with wide eyes. "Yeah, just move!" I begged as I rotated my hips against his to encourage him.

Several hours later we lay on the bed that was now flat on floor because the wood bed frame had broken during round two. "What made you change your mind?" I asked Daryl as I lay against his bare chest with my bare leg tossed over and between his while his hand ghosted up and down my bare back.

"I dunno. It just felt right." He muttered as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "Sleep, Lucky. We gotta get up in a few for a busy day."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

I'm not sure how long we lay there before I feel Daryl's chest vibrating underneath me as he struggled to hold in his laughter. "I can't believe we broke the bed." He chuckled.

I buried my giggles in his chest. "And we ain't had it very long either."

"I'll make us one that will be sturdy enough for us." He grunted before rolling us over until we were resting on our sides. "Or we can just leave the mattress on the floor."

"Sounds good to me." I whispered as a huge yawn erupted from me causing Daryl to press a kiss to my forehead and bidding me goodnight and sweet dreams.

The next morning when Daryl tugged me from the bed at the butt crack of dawn I gasped as I stood up. My legs hurt. My back ached. And my privates were screaming at me. All of this was from having lost my virginity the night before. "Oh God." I groaned as I waddled off the mattress and onto the solid floor.

"You still wanna go today?" Daryl asked as he tugged one of his t-shirts over my head.

I groaned as I rested my forehead against his chest. "Yeah, but I don't want to slow anybody down cause I'm achy."

"Maybe a hot shower will help?" Daryl suggested as he combed his fingers through my long hair.

"Maybe. It's worth a shot." I whispered as I pressed a kiss to his bare chest just as a knock sounded on our door.

"Breakfast in 20." Maggie called out from the other side of the door. "And Beth, a hot shower helps with the soreness and stiffness." She whispered before tapping on the door a few times.

So that is what I done. I took a scalding hot shower and showed up to breakfast five minutes late with just a slight grimace when I sat down in the hard kitchen chair between Maggie and Daryl. "Here." Maggie said as she slid something into my palm. "Aleve." She whispered to me with a wink.

I smiled gratefully at her before popping the pills into my mouth and taking a drink of water. "So who all is going on the run for furniture today?" I asked as I began cutting the deer steak into bite size pieces.

By the time breakfast was finished it was determined that Sasha, Tyrese, Bob, and T-Dogg were going to take one truck and trailer that we had parked out on the gravel road. Abraham, Rosita, Daryl, and myself were going to take another. Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, and Rick were going to take a third. Carol, Jesus, Kayden, and Aaron were taking the fourth one. Each group was assigned a set part of town to raid and collect from so that we weren't tripping over one another but close enough that we could use our bird whistles if danger appeared.

"Let's go, daylights a wastin'." Daryl called out as he slapped the hood of the truck we were going to be riding in. "Lucky, next to me at all times. Don't forget." He growled into my ear as he pressed me a quick kiss to the back of my head.

When our four truck and trailer convoy reached the highway that led into town Daryl shot me a look that had me biting my lip and nodding at him. I knew that look meant he was nervous about me going into town now that we had taken our relationship to the next step. "I promise, Daryl. I'll be glued to your side at all times. Where you go, I go."

"'Kay." He said with a nod of his head before pulling out onto the highway. One by one our convoy got smaller and smaller as we got into town.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Daryl!" I giggled as he threw us onto the bed in our new space. It had taken us nearly a week of numerous trips to and from town to get all of the rooms in the fence and house furnished for both basic needs and comfort. Our space had a couch, bookcases full of books and my notebooks, small table with two chairs, a big bed with a sturdy frame, two dressers, and a bed for Trouble. "We've still got so much to do." I cried as he rolled us over until I was straddling his hips with my hands pressed against his chest.

He shook his head as his hands slid up my bare thighs to tease at the hem of my cutoff shorts I had donned this morning cause it was such a warm day. "Later."

Cocking my head to the side I looked down at Daryl with hooded eyes. "Am I hearing this right? The normally stoic Daryl Dixon wants to shirk duties for a roll in the sack with lil ole me?"

He flipped me over onto my back as he hovered over me on extended arms. "Are ya gonna tease me or kiss me?" Daryl growled as he essentially did a push up around my head to bring his lips right above mine as his hips settled firmly between my spread ones.

Slinking my fingers through his hair I tilted his head as I tugged his lips down to mine effectively shutting both of us up. Within minutes we were both naked with Daryl seated deeply within my slickness. "I think this is so much better than working." I moaned as I rotated my hips against Daryl's to encourage him to move. "Please Daryl…" I moaned as I arched my back.

Chuckling against my neck he rolled us back over until he was flat on his back with his hands on my hips. "You move. Show me what you like." He commanded as his fingers dug into my hips as I rotated them experimentally.

Pushing myself up by his chest I began to move my hips until I found the perfect rhythm that stroked that special spot deep inside me that Daryl had awakened a week ago. "Oh God." I moaned as I pressed my hips tight to his and simply rocking back and forth.

Daryl raised up into a sitting position as he wrapped his arms tightly around my body, pressing our bodies flush together as his fingers dug into my hips to help rock me faster and faster. "Come on, Lucky, give it to me." He grunted as he pressed his lips against my neck.

Within minutes I was shattering around him as he rolled me back over onto my back so he could find his own release. A few long deep strokes later and Daryl was grunting and groaning into my neck as he released inside my body. We both sprawled on our bed with a chuckle. "That was a nice change of pace for the day." I giggled as I rolled onto my side to face a still panting Daryl as he lay beside me with his arm thrown over his head.

"I ain't gonna be good for nothin' now." Daryl groaned as he lolled his head to the side to look at me. "You wear an old man out."

I chuckled as I ran a hand over his toned abdomen that was a result of nothing but hard labor and survival. "You look damn good for an old man." I teased as I traced a fingernail over his defined abdominal muscles.

"I'm not that damn old, Lucky." He growled as he quirked an eyebrow at me as he began getting hard again. "Wanna see who cries chicken first?" He asked as he tugged my arm until I was plastered across his chest with my knees on either side of his hips.

Pressing my lips to his I shifted my hips until he slid back inside of me causing both of us to groan.

It was a few hours later before we agreed to call a truce and get some work done. When we walked out of our house and into the green space that we shared with Maggie and Glenn I couldn't help but blush as Maggie smiled broadly at us. "Did the new bedframe hold up this time around?" She teased with a raised eyebrow.

"It's metal so yeah." I deadpanned as I reached down to scratch between Trouble's ears.

The rest of the afternoon was spent working hard around the farm to make up for our lazy morning.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"You think we can make a shower area in the green spaces?" I asked Daryl as we carried our shower bags up to the main house to take our showers.

Daryl pushed open the screen door for me to step in around him. "I'll talk to Lucy and Maggie while you take a shower and see if we can come up with something. Okay?"

I nodded as I pecked a quick kiss to his cheek before making my way up the stairs to take a shower.

When I came back downstairs in fresh clothes and a wet head I spotted Daryl, Abraham, Rosita, and Lucy sitting around the kitchen table deep in discussion. "We would need to make a run for supplies." I heard Abraham say just as I leaned over the back of Daryl's chair, sliding my arms over his shoulders and down his chest with my chin resting on top of his head. "This your idea, Blondie?" Abraham asked as he slid a piece of paper over towards me and Daryl.

Looking down at the paper I saw a rough sketch of an outdoor bathroom with a bathtub, rainwater collection barrels, and a toilet. Of course, without running water we would only be able to use the bathroom if/when we had enough rain water to do so. "Do you like coming up to the house every evening to take a shower?" I asked as I tapped the paper on the table. "This is just an attempt at making our lives a little easier."

"Now, if you young folk are done dilly dallying at my kitchen table, I believe it's time to eat dinner." Patricia said as she, Karen, and Carol came in through the back door with their hands loaded down with trays of food. "We've already sent the kids around to round up all the others." Patricia said as she sat her platter down on the kitchen counter. "Now, you kids can clear the table and set the dishes out."

Abraham settled back in his chair as he raised an eyebrow at me. "Well, what are ya waitin' on?" He asked me.

Patricia snuck up behind him and popped him in the arm with a dish towel. "When I said kids, I meant you too, Abe."

The big red headed normally gruff man smiled and saluted Patricia with a nod of his head. "Yes ma'am."

The four of us got to work setting the table as the others trickled in the front door and down the stairs. Dinner was officially started! The one thing that hadn't changed from before the turn was that my Daddy still demanded we say grace over each and every meal. "Who wants a go tonight?" He asked as he usually did.

Dakota spoke up. "I would if that is okay with everyone?" She asked softly. She tended to fade into the background unless someone was injured or sick then she was a fierce and dangerous woman to confront.

My dad nodded his consent with a smile.

With a smile on her face she extended her hands to the ones sitting next to her as everyone followed suit. When all our hands were joined to create a never ending bond Dakota spoke in her soft voice. "We thank Great Spirit for the resources that made this food possible; we thank the Earth Mother for producing it, and we thank all those who labored to bring it to us. May the wholesomeness of the food before us, bring out the wholeness of the Spirit within us." She said seriously before she smirked at all of us. "Now let's eat!"

For the next several minutes all you could hear was 'pass me this' 'pass me that' and the clink of silverware against bowls and plates. Once we all settled in to enjoy the meal that Carol, Karen, and Patricia had fixed for us that day Abraham spoke up. "So when we gonna go get the stuff to make our showers?" Rosita slapped him on the back of the head while I simply shook my head at the burly man who smiled brightly over at his girlfriend. "What?" He asked cockily as he shoved a piece of deer meat into his mouth.

"Wait until after dinner at least." She chided him before spearing a piece of potato.

Abraham's comments got everybody's attention and the questions began pouring in until I stuck my fingers between my lips and whistled loudly to shut them all up. "If you all will quieten down I'll explain what Abe's talking about." I said lightly as my dad and Patricia simply shook their heads at me, but it had worked! "Now, I don't know about y'all but I hate having to carry my stuff up here every night for a shower and frankly three bathrooms and thirty something people just isn't working! So I had proposed that we build outdoor 'bathrooms' in the green spaces in the fences instead of just outhouses. We could use rain water to operate them and the sun to heat the water. Daryl, Lucy, and Abraham came up with the plan on how it could all work but we're gonna need supplies to make them work."

Looking around the crowded dining room and living room that held everybody but the kids, who ate in the kitchen, and saw smiles on all their faces. "I'm so glad we have you around, Bethie." Maggie grinned broadly at me. "So we're going this run as soon as possible, right?" She asked as she looked to Daryl, Abraham, Lucy, and Rick.

My dad spoke up before anybody else could. "Bethie, don't forget we got some harvesting and planting happening during the next few days."

I nodded. "I know, Dad. I wasn't planning on going this time around. I've got too much to do around here."

Daryl looked at me with wide eyes. "If you're stayin', I'm stayin'." He told me with a nod of his head before turning back to his dinner plate.

Rick looked at Daryl in shock before turning to me where I simply shrugged and continued eating my dinner without a single word. "Daryl, you are an expert tracker and your skills would be useful in finding the supplies we need. Not to mention that you helped come up with the design. We need you to go with us."

"No." Daryl said firmly before picking up his empty plate to carry it to the sink. "'Scuse me. I'm goin' ta take a shower." He said on his way out of the kitchen. On his way past my chair he stopped to press a kiss to the top of my head to hide his whispered words. "Wait for me?"

"Always." I whispered back before he grabbed his bag and headed up the stairs.

As soon as the sound of water being ran could be heard in the kitchen Rick turned to me. "Beth, you need to convince him to go with us on this run."

I shook my head. "You've known him longer than me, Rick, and should know that once his mind is made up there is no changing it. And I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you asking me to sway his decisions." I told him as I sat back in my chair with my arms crossed over my chest.

"I'm sorry but I would feel more comfortable with him on the run with us." Rick said with a shake of his head. "The man has an uncanny ability to spot trouble long before we are in trouble."

"Then I guess you can wait a week or two until I get the new crops planted and the old ones stored to go on your run. Otherwise you'll have to do it without us." I told him as I stood up with my plate, effectively ending the discussion for good.

Instead of simply putting my plate in the sink for Patricia or someone else to wash I began the process myself. To work off some of my frustration at being put in the middle between Rick and Daryl. I was elbow deep in soapy water when Patricia brought in a stack of plates followed by Michonne with her own stack. "Beth, he didn—" Michonne started but stopped when I simply shook my head.

She placed her stack of dirty dishes on the counter next to me before stepping up next to me to submerge her hands in the rinse water. Patricia patted me on the shoulder before placing her stack next to Michonne's and leaving us to do the dishes in companionable silence. When the last dish was washed I pulled the plug in the dirty water to let it drain out before grabbing the cloth to wipe down the counters that the dishes had been sat on. "How would you like to be put between the man you love and the man that he thinks of as a brother?" I asked Michonne suddenly.

"I wouldn't." She said as she picked up a dry towel to begin drying the dishes she had just rinsed.

I turned around to face her with my hands on my hips. "Then maybe you can tell your boyfriend to leave mine alone and to stop putting me in the middle of their disputes." Michonne's eyes went wide at my words but she didn't dispute anything I had said, instead she simply nodded.

"Okay. How did you know?" Michonne asked after a few minutes of silence where we simply returned to our tasks. "Nobody knows."

With a smile on my face I turned to face her again. "Tara." I chirped.

Michonne smiled back at me. "She acts all tough but is really nothing but a damn gossip. She's been spending time with Lucy." She spilled with a shake of her head, sending her dreads swirling around her head.

I nodded. "I've seen the looks between them from time to time. Since we're gossiping here, have you noticed how Nathan looks at Baylee?"

"I have!" she said causing me to giggle in excitement. "She deserves to be happy after everything she's been through. We all do."

"Yes we do." I agreed just as a throat cleared in the doorway causing me and Michonne to jump and spin towards the noise.

Patricia. Standing there with a huge smile on her face. "You girls done gossiping yet?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"Why? You in a hurry to sneak out to Dale's camper?" I asked with a bright smile on my face. When Otis died last year in an attempt to retrieve the machine that ultimately saved Carl's life Patricia had been devastated but we had all lost people in this world and like Michonne had said, we all deserved to be happy.

Watching Patricia's face go from calm to shocked caused me to double over in laughter. Daryl was standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face when I stood back up with my laughter somewhat contained. "What's so funny, Lucky?" He asked looking at the three of us.

Patricia's eyes went wide which caused me and Michonne to bust out in laughter again. "Nothing, son, nothing. They're just being silly and gossiping like women do." Patricia said as she patted Daryl on the cheek on her way out of the kitchen.

Since a bunch of us had taken up residence within the walls the sleeping arrangements inside the house had changed a bit too. We had kept the rule that if you had small children then you and they were to sleep inside the main house. Baylee and baby Ian shared the attic space. Macey and Emily had taken over Shawn's old room. Nathan and Jonah took up residence in Maggie's old room. Lori and Judith stayed in the garage converted room space while Carl switched between bunking with Rick and staying in his tiny room in the garage. Ryan and Mika took over Carol and Michonne's room. Karen took my old bedroom that now had a brand-new bedframe Daryl had built with Dale. Patricia kept her space and my dad kept his room. Everybody else had moved into the wall spaces. Even Lucy, Dakota, and Bob had moved into rooms in the walls. Tara had offered to share her room with Lucy while Bob bunked with Tyrese and Dakota shared a space with Sasha even though I think those arrangements would be changing soon enough. Relationships were bound to happen when you spent day in and day out with the same people and that could be a good thing. But, it could also be a bad thing because when things went bad we were all still stuck in the same confined area.

Lori and Rick wouldn't even speak when they passed the baby back and forth every other day. Carl barely spoke to his mom since he had found out that she had slept with Shane back when the turn first happened. When the Rick and Michonne being together came public knowledge it was going to get even worse but at the end of the day Rick and Lori were having problems before the world ended and she slept with his best friend. Daryl had told me that Rick didn't even think Judith was his baby but he would claim her anyways.

Once Patricia left the kitchen I walked over to Daryl, placing my hands on his hips as I rose up to place a quick kiss to his lips. "I know you want to stay tomorrow because I'm staying but you need to go, Daryl. Don't argue with me about this but I will be right here waiting for you to return to me tomorrow night. Okay?" I said as I relaxed back down onto my feet.

He glared at me and went to open his mouth but a simple raise of my eyebrow had him snapping it shut once again and nodding at me. "Yes ma'am." He growled against my lips as he took them in a biting kiss. "I'ma need a good reward for doin' this." Daryl whispered in my ear as he slapped me on the ass which sent Michonne into laughter while I stood there gaping at him like a fish out of water. "No arguin', m'kay?"

I nodded quickly before turning to bid Michonne goodnight. "I've got a reward to deliver so I'll see you in the morning at breakfast. Goodnight."

"Have fun!" She called out to us as we took our leave out the back door since it was closest to our room.

Halfway home Daryl swooped down and picked me up to sling over his shoulder with another slap to my butt. "Ya walk to slow, woman." He groused as he picked up the pace to our room while I hung limply over his shoulder with a smile on my face.

I caught sight of Maggie and Glenn from my upside position but I barely had time to wave at them before Daryl slammed our door shut. He strode purposefully across the room but deposited me gently onto the mattress. "Ya okay?" He asked as he began tugging off my shoes and socks.

Sliding off the bed and onto my knees on the rug at the side of the bed I smiled up at him. "I'm perfect. You ready to collect your reward?" I teased as I began undoing his belt.

His eyes darkened as he gazed down at me. "Ya sure?" He asked as he tugged the tie from the end of my braid and began loosening my hair until it hung loosely around my shoulders.

Instead of answering him with words I answered him by popping the button loose and lowering the zipper of his jeans. That was followed by my fingers tugging deftly on his jeans and underwear to expose what I wanted most. Taking Daryl in my hand I looked up at him as I stroked him gently. "Ya ready?" I whispered as I fisted him gently, like Baylee had showed me with a cucumber we picked the other day.

Daryl slid his fingers along the side of my face. "I love you." He whispered as he pulled my hair back into a ponytail made by his fingers.

Smiling up at him I leaned forward to place my lips against his purple head before sliding them open and taking him into my mouth for the first time ever. His groan made the salty taste worth it as I slid him further inside my mouth until he reached the point where he would make me gag. I frowned when I released him from my mouth. "It's too big." I complained as I took him in my hand once again so I could lick the underside of his shaft.

A chuckle erupted from Daryl as he shook his head. "That's a good thing, Lucky, trust me." He whispered as he tugged gently on my hair until his head was placed right at my lips once again. "Just take what ya can. Ya look amazin' with ya lips wrapped around my cock like that." He growled as I slid my lips around him once again with a groan of my own.

His free hand guided my hand to the part of his shaft that I couldn't fit into my mouth. "Stroke when ya back up." He explained as he moved our joined hands up and down with the movement of my mouth until I got the hang of it. His hand left mine and stroked the side of my face. "Ya look so damn perfect, Lucky."

"Mmm." I hummed as I sucked hard on my upstroke.

Daryl's eyes slid shut and his hips began moving with my strokes which let me know that he was enjoying himself. I had been nervous to try this but Baylee and Maggie both had promised me that he would like it more that I ever thought he would. They were right if his groans, fisting my hair, and movement of his hips was any indication. His eyes suddenly snapped open and met mine before using his hands in my hair to physically pull my mouth off of him. "Enough." He snapped before reaching under my arms to haul me to my feet and began stripping my clothes off in his haste to get me naked. When my shorts and panties hit the floor Daryl spun me around to face the bed. "Hold on." He demanded as he gripped his length to rub between my legs.

Bracing my hands on the bed I looked over my shoulder at him. "Don't be easy. Please." I whispered as he eased the tip of his length inside me.

With his hands on my hips he pulled me back flush against him in one solid movement causing me to bury my face in the mattress as my legs quivered.

The next morning I had to smile up at Daryl as he glared down at me because I was adamant that he go on the supply run while I tended to my duties in the garden. "I don't like this." He growled as he tightened his grip on my hips.

Reaching up, I slid my palms along the scruff on his cheeks until I could grip the edges of his hair tightly in my hands. "I know you don't but I'll be right here when you get back and just maybe I'll give you another reward tonight." I whispered against his lips as I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him goodbye. "I love you. Come back to me."

"Always, Lucky, always." He whispered as he pressed a soft kiss against my forehead before releasing me. "I love you." He said firmly as he threw a leg over his motorcycle.

Stepping back a few feet I crossed my arms over my body as Daryl started the motorcycle. "Be safe." I called to him as Carol wrapped an arm around my shoulders. This was the first trip since we that first one that we weren't going together but I knew that his skills were needed out there to bring all of our people back safely.

Daryl pointed to Carol and mouthed 'take care of her' before twisting the handle bar to give the motorcycle some gas. I reached up to brush the stray strands of my hair off my face as I watched Daryl lead the small caravan of vehicles out of the gates. "He's going to be okay. He has a damn good reason to come back home in one piece." Carol told me as she squeezed my shoulders one time before releasing me. "You are good for each other."

I turned to her with a smile on my face. "Thanks." I whispered before taking a deep breath and nodding at Carol. "Now, I've got a garden to tend to." I told her softly.

She laughed before patting my shoulder. "You two are so much alike it's uncanny. Go drown your worry in the garden while I go help Lori and Dakota with laundry."

"Okay." I said as I took off for the small shed that had been built to store the gardening supplies. Baylee and I spent the day pulling the plump radishes from the ground and getting them stored in their designated box so they could be took into the root cellar.

Trouble followed my every footstep solemnly, I think she missed Daryl because she had turned out to be more his companion than mine. "It's gonna be okay, girl. He'll be back before bed time." I told her as I squatted down in front of her to rub between her ears. She whined at me as she nudged into me for a hug. Wrapping my arms around the precious girl I hugged her quickly before releasing her with another rub between the ears.

When I carried the crate of damp leaves and radishes towards the root cellar entrance I passed by Karen who was holding 'class' with the children on the side lawn. We all agreed that the children needed to learn the basics of reading, writing, and math because those things were dependent on their long term survival when all of us were gone. "Hi guys." I called to them as I headed for the doors. "I hate to interrupt your lessons but would one of you want to come open the door for me?" I asked them as I shifted the crate in my hands.

Carl and Mika both jumped up and ran towards the double wooden doors that led to the space beneath the house that every generation of my family had used for over 100 years. "What's in there, Miss Beth?" Mika asked as Carl shook his head.

"Radishes. Do you know why we layer them in damp leaves?" I asked her and Carl as I motioned with my head to the crate in my hands.

They both shook their heads.

Smiling at them I sat the crate down on the ground to show them how I had layered the radishes in the crate. "We put them like this so they won't dry out but it's not wet enough for them to rot either. This means that we will have radishes to eat for a few months without having to plant anymore." I explained to them softly. "We'll plant some more in a few months but this will be more than enough to last us most of the summer. I also gave Miss Patricia a bunch to pickle."

They scrunched their noses up at my words of pickled radishes. "That sounds really gross." Carl said with a shake of his head.

"They're really good though. I promise. You've never had Miss Patricia's pickled radishes before so why don't we reserve judgement until we've tried them, huh?" I asked as I picked up my crate once again.

"Yes ma'am." They both muttered before holding the doors open for me as Trouble and I descended the steps into the darkness of the cellar. Light was our enemy when it came to food storage so we kept it pretty dark in the root cellar.

Once the radishes were stored in the root cellar I made my way back above ground. Once I secured the cellar doors once again I began my trek back to the garden when my dad approached me. "Bethie, you busy?" He asked as he fell into step beside me.

"Not for you." I chirped with a smile as I leaned into his arm. "What's up?" I asked as we walked towards the garden shed. I had scallions and beets to plant in the radishes spot.

He wrapped his arm around my waist to pull me against his side. "I just wanted to check in to see how you were doing with the gardening. I know when we started planning things out on paper you were really stressed about it."

With a sigh I wrapped my arm around his waist and laid my head on his shoulder. "I'm okay now that most of the things are planted and with you around to remind me about certain things that slip my mind."

"You don't need me around to remind you, Beth. You would've remembered eventually. Maybe not today but soon enough. The radishes would've kept for a few days still." He told me as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "Your momma would've been so proud of the woman you've became in the past year."

I had to blink back the tears that sprang to my eyes at the thought of my momma being proud of me. Her being disappointed in me would've been okay too if she could just be here with me to feel one way or another. "I hope so. I miss her so much, Daddy." I croaked as my tears closed my throat up.

"Me too, Bethie, me too."

We fell into a comfortable silence as we walked into the gardening shed that was a recent addition to the farm. It was a small wooden structure that was made from scrap material and covered in old barn wood that we had scavenged from the surrounding farms but it served it's purpose of holding all the gardening supplies and allowed me a space to work that was out of the direct sun. "This little shed turned out nice." He said as he stepped inside. These days with me taking over the gardening, Patricia taking over the cooking and household chores, and Maggie managing the security of the place that left our dad to take it easy and focus on the animals and teaching the children all he knew about them.

I nodded as I looked at the little room that Daryl, Lucy, T-Dogg, Jesus, and Kayden had built in one day. The inside had been a special project Daryl and I had worked on ourselves for a few days. We had built shelves, a work table, and hung nails to hang the tools on. "It has. I love it." I told him with a smile on my face as I looked around the space that I had made my own.

"Your momma was on me to build her something like this for years but I always thought it was useless since we had the barn." He said with a sad shake of his head. "She'd love this little space though."

Wrapping my arms around his waist I laid my head against his chest as I hugged him tightly. "She was happy with everything you ever gave her. She loved you just as you loved her." I whispered against his chest.

I felt him nod but I think he was too emotional to actually form a response verbally. I'm not sure how long we stood there but eventually he pressed a kiss to the top of my head before leaving me standing in the garden shed with just Trouble laying on my feet. With a shake of my head I grabbed the scallions and beets to get them in the ground. Tomorrow the carrots, spinach, and leaf lettuce would get their turn.

Busying myself with the process of planting the new vegetables and picking the suckers off the tomato plants time flew by and before I realized it Trouble was bounding for the gates barking and howling like a maniac. I rose to my feet, dusting my legs off before rushing towards the gate after my dog that was usually quiet unless she was agitated or nervous. "What's wrong, girl?" I asked her as I knelt down beside her in an attempt to calm her down while Tyrese and Jesus opened the gates.

"They're coming in fast!" Tyrese called down to me. "It's our folks!"

I wrapped my arms around Trouble's body and physically pulled her out of the way of the fast approaching vehicle. Watching the SUV speed through the gates throwing up dust and rocks only to slam on the brakes close to the house caused my breath to hitch in my throat as Trouble fought against my tight grip. Something was wrong. And it was bad. Really bad.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sitting on the edge of the bed where Daryl lay sleeping I closed my eyes and sent up a silent prayer to my momma, brother, and any higher being that had been there to bring him home to me. Our group had been frantic as Michonne helped Rick pull Daryl from the back of the SUV while Daryl's head just rolled against Rick's chest like it was unattached from his body.

 _All the ones with medical training had quickly spurred into action to save Daryl's life while my sister and Glenn physically removed me from the room. As soon as Rick and Michonne came from the room where our friends operated on Daryl I began questioning how this had gone down. "What happened?" I asked Rick when he was barely two steps into the living room._

 _Rick shook his head as Michonne placed a hand on his arm. "It was so stupid." Michonne said softly. "We were fighting off walkers when Daryl slipped on some walker blood and fell onto his crossbow where an arrow went through his side." She explained before squeezing both Rick's arm and my hand before going outside._

 _"I'm so sorry, Beth. It just happened so quick. We got him out of there and back here as quick as we could." Rick said as he stared at his blood stained hands. "Your name was the last thing he whispered before he passed out."_

 _I nodded as I reached over to squeeze his forearm. "Thank you for getting him back here. Why don't you go wash up while we wait on them to get finished?" I suggested with a nod to his hands and clothes that had Daryl's blood all over them from his effort of trying to stop the blood from escaping Daryl's body._

 _Rick looked at me with tear filled eyes. "I should've just let him stay here, Beth, with you. I'm so sorry." He whispered before leaving the room._

Running my fingers along Daryl's face I brushed his hair off of his face, to tuck it behind his ear, he needed a haircut again. "Daryl, I'm going to need you to wake up soon okay?" I whispered as I bent forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips. "I love you and need to see those beautiful blue eyes of yours soon. Please don't make me wait too long." I whispered in his ear before stretching out beside him on the bed with my head resting on the pillow next to his shoulder. He was bare from waist the waist up except for the bandages that wound around his mid-section. As I lay next to him I ran my fingers gently up and down his arm to soothe myself and hopefully pull him from his unconsciousness. Tears sprang to my eyes as I watched his chest rise and fall evenly. "Daryl, you are the love of my life and I don't think I will survive if you don't come back to me. I'm not really giving you an option here, Daryl Dixon, you best wake up and come back to me. You hear me?" I growled against his arm as I slipped my fingers between his.

"Lucky…"

The sound of my name and the vibration of it coming from Daryl's chest caused me to sit up quickly in the bed to look at his face but saw nothing but a grimace as his eyes slowly cracked open to look at me with his piercing blue gaze. "Oh God." I gasped as I slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my cries.

"Lucky." Daryl grumbled as he reached one hand out towards me while another grabbed his stomach. "Quit yer whinin' and tell me how bad it is." He grumbled as he gripped my hand in his.

Taking a steadying breath I leant forward to press my lips against his in a quick kiss. "I'll whine all I want to, thank you." I told him sternly as I pulled back to look him in the face. "You got really lucky that the arrow went clean through and missed all your vital organs. Bob said you most likely passed out from the pain and the fact that you hit your head when you fell."

"How long?" He asked with a frown as he rolled his head to look at me.

I wrinkled my nosed as I brushed his hair out of his face once again before sliding my hand down to cup his jaw. "Three days." I whispered as I tears sprang to my eyes. "Longest three days of my life." I mumbled before pressing a kiss to his lips as my tears spilled down my cheeks. "We're never leaving this damn farm separately again. You hear me?" I whispered against his lips.

"Yes ma'am." He mumbled with a smirk on his lips. "I got you somethin' though." He whispered as his hand reached up to brush the tears from my cheeks. "I don' like seein' ya cryin', Lucky."

Pressing another kiss to his lips I smiled down at him. "I'm crying cause I'm so happy that you came back to me. I love you so damn much."

"I love ya too, Lucky." He groaned as he relaxed back into the pillows with a groan.

I laid down in the bed next to Daryl but kept my hands constantly running over his body and through his hair as he relaxed and his eyes slid shut once more. Once Daryl's body fully relaxed as sleep took over his body I pressed a kiss to the top of his head before easing from the bed to go share the wonderful news with our family and friends.

"How's he doing?" Patricia asked as I pulled the door closed behind me.

Whirling around in surprise I couldn't help but smile at her. "He woke up and talked to me for a little bit. He's resting now. I just came to get some soup and water for when he wakes up again. I'm sure he's got to be starving."

Patricia pulled me into a tight hug as she laughed. "I knew he would wake up. That is one stubborn man, you've got Bethie. You go on back in there and I'll bring you both something to eat and drink." She said as she pulled back to place a motherly kiss to the side of my cheek. "And I'll let Rick know that Daryl woke up so that maybe he'll stop moping."

Returning a kiss to her cheek I pulled back to look at her. "Thank you so much for everything you've done the past few days." I whispered softly as I looked into her face. She had given up her bedroom without a second thought so Daryl could recover on the first floor of the house. I, personally, think that she done is so she could have an excuse to move into the camper with Dale. Now that Daryl was on the road to recovery I seriously doubted that she would take her room back once we moved back out to our room in the wall. She had also taken to overseeing the care of the gardens while I stood vigil over Daryl.

"It was my pleasure, baby girl. Now scoot. Get back to your man and I'll handle everything out here." She said as she patted my cheek.

As I walked back into the bedroom as quietly as I had left it I couldn't help but smile at the sight of Daryl laying there snoring lightly as he slept off the pain medicine my dad had been administering twice a day. Laying back down next to him on his uninjured side my smile got brighter as his body automatically shifted to fit snugly against mine. "Lucky…" He grumbled sleepily as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders to pull me against his chest. "Stay."

"Yes sir." I whispered as I craned my neck up to place a gentle kiss against the scruff on his chin. "Patricia's gonna bring dinner soon."

"Mmkay." He muttered before his soft snores once again began to fill the space and lull me to sleep right next to him.

Daryl proved to be one of the worst patients any of us had ever seen over the next few days but his determination was both frustrating and inspiring all at the same time. "You're going to bust open your stitches if you're not careful." I told Daryl as he stuck his foot in the foot hold of the crossbow to engage the arrow.

"Don'tcha got some gardenin' to do?" He growled at me as he lifted the crossbow into his arms but I watched as his teeth clenched and his arms shook from the exertion. I knew that he wanted to get up and about to keep from getting weak but if he busted open his stitches then it would only prolong his recovery. "I don't need no babysitter, Lucky."

"Don't you dare use my beloved nickname when you're being an ass!" I scowled at him as I placed my hands on my hips to square off with him. "I'll do my damn gardening when you stop acting like a belligerent teenager that requires constant supervision. Do I need to have Abe or Rick take your crossbow from you? Because you are not target practicing today!" I said practically screaming at him at this point. This was our first major argument and I wasn't about to back down from his grumpy ass.

He narrowed his eyes at me as he stepped towards me while lowering his crossbow to his side. "I'd like ta see 'em try ta take it from me. You or them." He growled at me with a shake of his head.

I stepped up close to him so that there was only a few inches between his heaving chest and mine. "I may not be able to take it from you but I could get you to willingly hand it over to me." I growled as I glared up at him all while fighting a smirk as his eyes darkened slightly.

"Ain't getting' laid right now anyways so I don't know what leverage ya think ya got over me ta make me hand this crossbow over." He growled back at me as he met my gaze head on. "Try ya best shot, Lucky."

My eyes narrowed at the use of my nickname that had become near and dear to my heart in the past several months. "I can get you to drop it with three simple words. You sure you want to play this game with me? You do remember my Daddy telling you that I was used to getting my way, right?"

"I remember but I can't possibly think of any three words that would get me to put this down so willingly." He said with a smirk. "I love you ain't gonna work, Lucky."

"Nope, those aren't the words I'm thinking of." I told him as I placed my hands on his biceps so I could use his body as leverage to lean forward and whisper my three words in his ear. "Blow job. Now." With my whispered words I sunk back to the flat of my feet before smirking at him and walking away. I walked straight to our room in the wall with him standing in the middle of the yard with his mouth opening and closing in disbelief.

I had barely made it through our doorway when I felt his body press flush against mine. "You're evil." He growled in my ear.

Turning around I nodded towards his crossbow with a smile on my face. "You gonna put it up and let yourself heal?"

He nodded as he hung his crossbow on the rack he had built just a few days after we had moved into the space. I couldn't help but smile as I looked around the room that had quickly become a home to us. Using furniture that we had collected over the course of several weeks worth of runs and stuff that had been stored in the basement I had managed to create a living room area in one corner of the room, a dining area for us to work on our tools and equipment at but also to eat the rare meal at, and on the far wall was a closet space and a bedroom space where all the fun activities happened. "You're not gonna reneg, are you?"

"Nope." I told him as I pointed to the bed. "But you mister, are going to lay there and let me do all the work."

Thirty minutes later Daryl lay panting on the bed while I sat smirking on the bed next to him. "Lucky, please let me do something for you. It's been so long since I've had my hands on you like that." He groaned once he got control of his breathing.

Shaking my head at him I leaned over to place a tender kiss to his lips. The first time I had kissed him after swallowing his seed I was pleasantly because Maggie and Baylee had told me that some guys didn't like kissing after blow jobs. "This was all about you. When you put your hands on me like that I want you one hundred percent healed not seventy-five."

"Lucky…" He groaned as he slid his fingers into my hair. "I can smell your arousal as you sit there, please let me do something for you." He growled against my lips before tugging me in for a passionate kiss. "Don't make me beg. You can even do most of the work with this too." He whispered once he released my lips.

I raised an eyebrow at him because sex was completely off the table for the moment so I didn't see how I could do most of the work while he pleasured me. "How?"

"Let me educate you, Lucky." He told me with a wink before pointing to my shorts and tank top. "Those gotta go though."

As quickly as I could I stripped to my birthday suit, just like Daryl, and stood beside the bed looking at his rising erection. "This seems like it may torture you while helping me. I want us both to be satisfied." I complained as I gazed down at him, the white bandage stark against his dark skin but still free of any blood which was a good sign.

"Ever hear of 69? I know ya, Maggie, and Baylee like ta gossip 'bout us men so I'm sure you're far smarter than I think." He said as he grabbed my hand to tug me back onto the bed. "Put your knees on either side of my head while facin' my feet." He instructed me as he held my hands while I climbed onto the bed to position myself like he had told me.

"I'm gonna suffocate you." I complained as I swung my leg over his head. "This is so awkward." I grumbled as his hands squeezed mine.

"Nah, it's the best view I've ever had." He whispered as he blew up onto my soaked center causing me to gasp at the sensation. "And I think you're gonna like it." He teased as he craned his neck up to run his tongue through my wetness. "Now lean forward and ya can pleasure me too. Just don't rest on my stomach or ya Dad'll kill us both."

Following his softly spoken instructions I learned a new way to both receive and give pleasure with the man I loved more than anything in this world.

~*~LUCKY~*~

A week after our bargain had been struck Daddy removed the stitches from Daryl's side and declared him good as new. "Let's go hunting." Daryl told me as he tugged his shirt back down to cover the scar that remained from the stitches and previous wound.

I couldn't help but laugh at his eagerness to get outside the gates. He had been cooped up for the past two weeks while his wounds healed and I had spent the past week pacifying him with every sexual maneuver that didn't require actual sex to keep him from biting everybody's heads off when they glanced at him. "I've got your crossbow waiting in the living room." I told him as I stepped between his legs with my hands cupping his cheeks. "But first I want a kiss."

"If I kiss you, Lucky, we're not leaving this room for a good hour." He growled as his hands slid onto my hips to tug me firmly against the cradle of his legs before sliding up under the back of my tank top. "You sure you're up for that and hunting?"

Sliding my fingers up his cheek and into his hair I tightened my grip in his long locks before using my grip to tip his head back. "I'm up for it if you are. I've missed you so damn much." I growled against his lips before taking them in a passionate kiss that left us both panting.

He slid his hands down my back to cup my ass before tightening his grip so he could lift me onto his lap so that my legs straddled his and settled on either side of his hips. "I won't last long, Lucky." He growled as he scooted us back on the bed that he was laid up in unconscious just two weeks ago.

"I don't care." I whispered against his lips as I pressed my hips down onto his causing him to groan and arch up into me.

He slid his hands up and into the waistband of my shorts to cup my bare bottom. "Oh, you're a naughty girl, Lucky. No panties." He said as he rolled us over until he was hovering over me.

I smiled at him as I stretched beneath him. "I was hoping this would happen and I wanted to be properly prepared."

With a deep growl he stood from the bed, walked over to flick the lock on the bedroom door, and quickly disposed us of our clothes before joining me back on the bed with a raging erection bobbing between us. "Ya ready?" He asked as he sat back on his ankles between my spread thighs.

"Yes." I begged as I twisted my hips anxiously on the bed as he teased me with what I wanted most. "Please stop teasing." I pleaded.

Bending over me he pressed a kiss to my lips as he ran the tip of his erection through my slickness. "Best be quiet, Lucky. We're not alone in tha house." He growled as he slid his hardness through my wetness, joining us completely once again.

When he was fully pressed inside me he lay down over me as we wrapped our arms tightly around one another and just relished the moment. "I love you, Daryl. So damn much." I moaned as I arched my back because of the sensations rushing through my body.

Daryl grunted as he pulled his hips back, only to slam them forward in a hard thrust. "I love ya too, Lucky. Hold on."

I wrapped my arms tightly around his body as he began pounding into my body, inching me quickly to orgasm as he chased his own. "So close…" I moaned as I panted against his neck as my nails dug into the slick skin of his back.

Just a few pumps later I reached my peak just about the time Daryl loses his rhythm due to reaching his own peak. He buried his groans in my neck as I bit his shoulder in an attempt to hide my own moans. His arms began trembling in the attempt to keep his weight off of me but I wrapped my arms and legs around his body and used my weight and his weakness to roll him onto his side where I curled up next to him while we rested for a few minutes. We lay there in silence as we just relished in the moment.

Eventually we pulled ourselves from the bed, got dressed, and headed out. "We're going hunting! Be back in a little while!" I called out to my Dad, Maggie, and Patricia as we walked out of the house with Daryl's crossbow hanging from his back, our knives hanging from our belt loops, our guns tucked into the waistband of our jeans, and a pack strapped to my back.

We walked through the yard and gates, making small talk with whoever we ran into along the way, and eventually made it outside the exterior gate that Kayden and Lucy were manning today. "You gonna bring us back something good to eat, Daryl?" Kayden called down as he worked the chain that opened and shut the gates on a pully system.

"I'm hoping too. Seen anything from up there today?" Daryl asked as he squinted up at Kayden.

Kayden shook his head. "Nope, it's been all clear today."

I smiled up at him. "Thanks Kayden. We'll see you later." I told him before grabbing Daryl's hand and tugging him away from the gate and across the gravel road that was beginning to sprout grass due to not being travelled as often as it used to be. It was our hope that over time we would have everything we need to survive without making trips to town and the roads would grow up completely and our farm would be completely hidden except to the ones that lived there. But that was years down the road because we were still making semi-regular runs.

"In a hurry?" Daryl teased as we stepped into the woods silently.

"Nope, just been waiting on this day for a few weeks and can't wait no more." I explained as I stopped to examine the area around me so we could get a general idea of the direction we needed to travel in. Daryl had taught me a lot since the first time we had ventured into the woods together. "That way?" I asked as I spotted the split print in the ground that indicated a deer had been here recently.

He nodded approvingly before pulling his crossbow into his arms. "Yep. Lead the way."

It was just about two hours later that I held up a hand to signal to Daryl that I had spotted the beautiful Buck standing in a clearing about 50 foot in front of me. When Daryl stepped up behind me I pointed to the deer that was grazing happily on the fresh grass. He nodded and handed his crossbow to me before wrapping his arms around me to help me support it as I lined up my shot. "Breathe." He whispered almost silently against my ear before removing his hands from mine so I could take the shot solo.

Staring down the sights of the crossbow I breathed softly as my finger gently pressed against the trigger release. As soon as the arrow released from the crossbow the buck raised his head up but before he could react the arrow pierced him perfectly in the area that Daryl had told me held the heart. Spinning around I couldn't stop myself from throwing my arms around Daryl's neck as I cheered in my excitement for actually shooting my first big game solo. "I can't believe I hit it perfectly!" I exclaimed as I spun back around to look at the buck that lay just a few feet from where I had shot it at. But I gasped as I spotted two walkers coming towards it. "No! That's ours!" I screeched as I handed Daryl his crossbow before taking off in a sprint towards the ambling dead before they reached the deer I had just killed. I heard an arrow whiz by my head just as I sunk my knife into the skull of the closest walker.

Just as I pulled my knife from the skull of the walker woman I heard growling through the trees and looked up to see several more coming towards both us and the freshly killed deer. "Do we leave it for them or fight them off?" I asked Daryl as he shot an arrow into the closest walker before reloading quickly.

He scanned the area quickly before looking at me with a smile on his face. "Let's fight. It only looks ta be 'bout 10 of 'em. Just whistle if ya get overwhelmed an' we'll abandon the deer an' run. 'Kay?"

"Sounds good. Same goes for you. Be careful." I warned him as I kicked a walker in the knee to bring to my level so I could slide my knife into its forehead.

What seemed like an hour or more was most likely just ten minutes but once the last walker was put down I collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. "Shit." I muttered as I lay there with my chest heaving.

Daryl collapsed next to me but remained sitting instead of laying down like I was. "Ya okay?" He asked as he swiped his blade through the grass to clean the walker blood from it since he still had to field dress the deer so we could take it home.

"Fine. Just haven't had to do that in a while. I guess it makes us appreciate the safety of the farm even more and also reminds us that there is still danger out here." I explained as I looked up at the bright blue sky that was peeking through the leaves of the trees above us. "Are you okay?" I asked as I rolled my head to look at him.

He was smiling brightly over at me. "Never felt better, Lucky. Watchin' ya fight is hot." He said with a wink. "But we gotta get this deer back 'fore it draws more walkers. Come on."

I rolled my eyes as him but sat up with a groan and began cleaning my own knife off. "Why can't we just dress the thing out here instead of hauling the heavy thing back to the farm?" It was a rhetorical question but he answered anyways.

"Because Dakota says she can use every single part of the animal and we should stop wasting valuable resources." He repeated, imitating the Native American woman to the best of his ability, with a shake of his head.

I couldn't help but laugh at his impression of the quietly spoken woman who could give a tongue lashing like no other if the circumstance called for it. The first time I had seen it in action was when she had caught the guys throwing away the guts, hooves, and carcasses of animals they had caught. It was a sight to see as she quickly explained that each and every piece of any animal had its uses when we didn't have stores to run to.

The blood could be added to our compost piles to enrich our garden next year, the hooves could be boiled down to create glue, the bones could be used to create tools or weapons that we couldn't replace so easily anymore, some of the organs could be used in our daily means, the intestines could be used for sausage casings, the bladders of the larger animals could be used for carrying water, and the brains were used to tan the hides so they could be made into things such as clothes or shoes or blankets.

Pulling the tarp from my backpack we rolled the deer onto the tarp before tying the ends of the tarp to Daryl's waist so he could drag the thing back to the farm.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Life settled into a sense of normalcy around the farm, everybody knew what had to be done everyday and just done it. Even the kids didn't complain much about their lessons and chores.

"Can I help you today, Miss Beth?" Mika asked sweetly as she fell into step beside me as I walked around the edge of the kitchen garden to inspect the herbs and spices for pests and readiness.

Smiling over at the little girl who was always happy and giggling no matter what she was doing on the farm I nodded at her. "Of course you can, sweetheart." I told her softly as I pointed to the stevia plants that were just getting ready to flower out which meant they were ready to pick. We needed to get them picked before it flowered to get the most sweetness out of the leaves. "We're gonna be starting with those. Do you know what they are?"

At the shake of her head I began to teach her all I knew about the Stevia plant while we meticulously harvested the plants that were ready. I spent the better part of the morning teaching and showing Mika how to harvest and dry the plants we picked. All of our herbs, if not used immediately, were hung by their roots in the root cellar to dry. Once they were dried we placed them in jars. "That's a lot of work for just one plant." Mika said as we carried the bound bunches of herbs into the root cellar.

I laughed at her as I held open the door for her. "It is but you like sweet cookies don't you? And jellies?" I asked her as I began stringing the tied herbs to the roof rafters.

"Yeah. I just miss being able to go to the store to buy things. What do you miss?" She asked softly.

"Chocolate." I told her with a giggle.

She bobbed her head eagerly at my response. "Yeah. Chocolate ice cream." She whispered almost as if it was a crime to say the words out loud.

"McDonald's." I whispered as I strung the last of the herbs up before going to rotate the other vegetables.

"Oh yeah. My momma used to take me and Lizzy there every Friday if we got good grades on our papers for the week." She explained sadly. "I miss them too."

Stopping what I was doing I walked to the little girl and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I know sweet girl. I miss my momma and brother too. And all my friends and people I've known my entire life." I pressed a soft kiss to the side of her hair that Baylee had french braided this morning after breakfast. "They would want us to keep living our lives."

"I know. Lizzie was a little off. She thought those things were her friends but they wasn't." Mika said sadly.

Pressing another kiss to the side of her head I pulled back so I could look at her face. "When my momma and brother first got bit my Daddy thought that they could be saved from it and brought back to us so we kept them in the barn for a while. Everybody deals with things differently. I'm sure Lizzie was having a hard time but would have came around eventually if given the chance." I told her softly.

She nodded as a few tears spilled down her cheeks. "Daddy had to take care of her because she tried to make me one of them things." Mika sobbed as she showed me her wrist where a faint silver line, similar to the one on my own arm, marred her skin.

"Oh sweet girl." I whispered as I wrapped her in another tight hug.

Once we were finished with our sobbing we wiped our cheeks and left the root cellar to finish our work in the gardens. "Look at the size of these tomatoes." I told Mika as I held up a ripe tomato the size of a softball.

"Those look yummy!" She exclaimed as she looked over the blueberry bushes for the ripe ones. "Look at these!" She said excitedly as she showed me her collection of ripe berries.

I smiled over at her. "Maybe we can get blueberry pancakes or blueberry syrup for breakfast tomorrow." I couldn't help but chuckle at her wide-eyed expression. "Sounds delicious, huh?"

She nodded as she began searching the bushes for more berries.

We spent the rest of the day working our way through the massive gardens, only stopping to take a break when Lori brought us some raspberry water. "You still gonna stick with me or you too tired?" I asked Mika as she lay in the grass beneath the massive oak tree that stood front and center in our front yard.

"I'm gonna finish." She said as she closed her eyes for a few minutes.

While the little girl lay there dozing in the breeze I leaned back on my hands and began to sing softly. My momma had always told me that music had a way of healing a person's problems.

 _One day shy of eight years old,  
When grandma passed away.  
I was a broken hearted little boy,  
Blowing out that birthday cake.  
How I cried when the sky let go,  
With a cold lonesome rain.  
My mom smiled, said: "Don't be sad child.  
"Grandma's watching you today."_

 _"'cause there's holes in the floor of Heaven,  
"And her tears are pouring down.  
"That's how you know she's watching,  
"Wishing she could be here now.  
"An' sometimes if you're lonely,  
"Just remember she can see.  
"There's holes in the floor of Heaven  
"And she's watching over you and me."_

 _Seasons come and seasons go,  
Nothing stays the same.  
I grew up, fell in love,  
Met a girl who took my name.  
Year by year, we made a life,  
In this sleepy little town.  
I thought we'd grow old together,  
Lord, I sure do miss her now._

 _"'cause there's holes in the floor of Heaven,  
"And her tears are pouring down.  
"That's how you know she's watching,  
"Wishing she could be here now.  
"An' sometimes if you're lonely,  
"Just remember she can see.  
"There's holes in the floor of Heaven  
"And she's watching over you and me."_

 _Well my little girl is 23,  
I walk her down the aisle.  
It's a shame her Mom can't be here now,  
To see her lovely smile.  
They throw the rice, I catch her eye,  
As the rain starts coming down.  
She takes my hand; says: "Daddy don't be sad,  
'cause I know Mama's watching now."_

 _"'cause there's holes in the floor of Heaven,  
"And her tears are pouring down.  
"That's how you know she's watching,  
"Wishing she could be here now.  
"An' sometimes if you're lonely,  
"Just remember she can see.  
"There's holes in the floor of Heaven  
"And she's watching over you and me."_

 _Watching over you and me._

 _Watching over you and me._

 _Watching over you and me._

Taking a deep cleansing breath I finished my drink before leaving the tired little girl to nap under the tree while I went to check the rest of the garden. I was elbow deep in broccoli and cauliflower plants when a pair of hands grasped my hips as I was kneeling in the dirt. "Your partner poop out on you, Lucky?"

Looking at Daryl's sweaty form over my shoulder I smiled at him. "Yeah, she's just taking a short nap. I'm gonna finish this section before I wake her up. She's worked hard today." I explained as I checked the broccoli for ripeness but they weren't quite ready just yet. "How's ur work going today?"

"Good. We're just 'bout to finish up wit' all the showers. We used Lucy's idea of runnin' rain gutters along the walls ta collect more water. Now, all we need is some rain to fill up the containers." He explained as I stood up to face him.

I smiled at him. "That's great. How's the new root cellar room coming?" I asked because it was getting close to the time where we would begin harvesting the fruit trees and they could rot the other vegetables we have stored in the root cellar.

Reaching up he swiped his thumb across my cheek. "Who knew gardenin' was such a dirty job?" He teased as he showed me the bit of dirt he had brushed off my cheek. "The new cellar is almost finished."

"Good. Tomorrow we need to ride out to check the orchards." I explained with a smile as I stepped up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.

He nibbled at my lips greedily before pulling away from me with a groan. "Get back to work, Lucky. I got stuff to do." Daryl said as he reached back to swat me on the ass playfully.

After Daryl disappeared from my view I turned to go wake Mika up so we could finish checking the garden crops. "Come on, sweet girl. Up and at 'em." I coaxed as I tickled her sides.

She looked at me sleepily. "I fell asleep, didn't I?" Mika grumbled as she looked around her.

Nodding down at her I smiled. "It's okay though. There is still plenty of work to be done. You didn't sleep long. I promise."

"Okay. I don't wanna be called lazy." She grumbled as she sat up with a groan. "Let's get to work."

I chuckled at her before helping her to stand up. We worked side by side until the dinner warning bell was rung by Patricia. It was to let all of us know that it was time to start wrapping up our work for the day and get washed up cause dinner was almost ready. "Let's go sweet girl, let's get these things stored so we can grub on those tomatoes we picked today."

"Yes ma'am." She said with a nod before grabbing her basket of vegetables she had picked today.

Later that evening, after a delicious dinner of grilled deer tenderloin, salad with strawberry dressing, and fresh sliced tomatoes Daryl led me and Trouble on a perimeter walk, outside the fence.

"Do you wanna get married, Lucky?" Daryl asked when we were leaning up against the wall waiting on Trouble to get finished sniffing the area.

I gasped out loud as I turned to face him, even though it was dark I could still make out his intense facial features. "Getting married today doesn't mean the same today that it did this time last year. We're committed to each other and to me that is better than saying we're married. Do you want to get married?" I asked as I watched his face for a reaction.

All I was graced with a beautiful and rare smile. "I wouldn't mind you having my last name."

"Then from now on I'll be Mrs. Beth Dixon." I told him softly as I stood on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.

"Lucky Dixon. Don't call ya Beth." He mumbled against my lips before sliding his hands around my waist to pick me up while turning us around so my back was against the fence. "Wrap ya legs round me."

I did as he asked and locked my ankles around his waist as his hands cupped my butt. "I like the sound of Lucky Dixon." I whispered as I threaded my fingers through his long hair. "It does have a nice ring to it."

All other talking was silenced by his lips sliding over mine. We were interrupted a few minutes later by Trouble whining at our feet. "What's wrong, girl?" Daryl asked as he set me back on my feet. In the silence of the night we heard the distinct sounds of a good-sized herd of walkers growling. "Let's go, Lucky! Trouble!" Daryl said urgently as he grabbed my hand before taking off in a sprint back to the front gates so we could get inside and be safe. It seemed like our walls were about to be tested.

* * *

 **The song sung in this chapter is Steve Wariner's 'Holes in the Floor of Heaven"**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

As dawn breaks through the darkness of the night the entire population of the farm is exhausted as we had spent the hours of the night making sure the walls stayed erect and nobody was hurt. Daryl, Trouble, and I had barely been able to squeeze through the small opening in the gate before the rather large herd caught up to us. We had quickly sounded the alarm code which sprung everyone into action while Lori, Patricia, and Baylee corralled the kids in the attic space of the farmhouse. The rest of us spread out over the rooftops between the fences to monitor the herd as they spread around our wall at least five walkers deep. "How are we gonna get rid of them?" I aske Daryl as we join the rest of the group for a brainstorming session because we are surrounded and while our walls are holding for now, they won't hold forever.

"With these." Dakota said as she and T-Dogg joined our group with an armful of long cane poles. "I've been using the deer antlers and bones to create spear heads which we then attached to these cane poles." She explained as she handed one to every single person standing there. "They should be long enough to stab through the tops of the heads from the rooftop decks." She explained as we all took our turn examining our new weapons.

"Genius." I hear Maggie mutter as she practices using her new weapon. "These will work amazingly well if the cane poles will hold up and the blades stay attached." She grumbled before smiling out at the group. "Let's get to it. But be safe and don't hang too far over the edge to reach them. We want every single one of us at the breakfast table in a little bit. No stupid or brave stuff."

Everybody grunted in agreement before separating once again. Once Daryl and I climbed back onto the roof of our room with Tara and Lucy on their half of our shared roof while Maggie and Glenn were across the green space on their own roof. "Do we just lean over and try to stab one through the head?" I asked Daryl as we stood at the edge of the roof looking down at all the walkers milling around and pushing against our fences.

"I guess. Can ya reach 'em?" He asked as he knelt down so he could lean over the edge of the wall with his spear in hand. "Don't lean too far." He warned me as he stabbed one walker in the head before pulling back up on his spear. It worked like a charm.

I had to be choosy about which ones I stabbed cause my arms weren't as long as Daryl's but I managed to kill one on my first try. "I got it!" I called out excitedly before going for another one.

It took us hours, well past the normal breakfast hour to clear our fences of the walkers. Thankfully T-Dogg and Dakota had anticipated the weaknesses Maggie pointed out in their weapons and had a plentiful supply waiting for us when we happened to drop or break one. We managed to drop hundreds of walkers without firing a single bullet. That was something to celebrate. But the hard work had just started because now we had to clear the dead bodies away from the fences. "What are we going to do with all of those bodies?" Glenn asked as we washed up using a communal bucket of water so we could go get us something to eat.

I shrugged my sore shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe burn them? Haul them off?"

"Where would we haul them to or burn them at so it doesn't contaminate our crops or our water supply?" Abraham asked as he dipped his hands into the water to wash away the sweat and grime that had accumulated while clearing our walls from hundreds of walkers.

Again, I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe Dad, Patricia, or Maggie will have a suggestion. They've all lived around here longer than I have." I joked as I splashed some water on my face.

"How old are you Beth?" Lucy asked as she stepped up next to T-Dogg to rinse off.

Smiling over at her I admitted my age. "I will be 20 this year."

"Oh. That's still so young."

"It is but the things I've been through has grown me up a lot. Now, age is just a number and doesn't really matter as much as it used to. Now there are no big birthday celebrations or big events that happen at certain ages. Driver's license don't matter anymore, turning 18 doesn't really make you a legal adult anymore, and alcohol is hard to come by and usually reserved for medical treatments so 21 is a moot point now." I rambled as I pulled the hem of my shirt up to wipe the water from my face. "Now, no matter our age we work side by side to see that things get done."

Everybody gathered around the water bucket smiled at me as I dipped my head in a nod and turned away. "Very well said Beth." Lucy called out to me as I headed for the house with Trouble loping along beside me. The girl was getting big, she reached almost up to my hips these days but Dad and Daryl said she was almost finished growing.

"You ready to get some grub, girl?" I asked her as I reached over to scratch between her ears. She nudged me gently as she followed me up the steps and into the house. "I know, I'm hungry too. Maybe Patricia has you some bones to gnaw on today. I bet you'd like that, huh?" I asked her as we walked into the kitchen where there was a large bowl filled with food sitting on the floor with a small pile of bones sitting on a plate next to it. "Lookie there, girl, I told you Patricia would fix you up." I told her as I bent down to press a kiss to the top of her head before nodding towards the bowl. "Go eat but don't be a pig." I reminded her softly.

When I turned around I found my Dad and Patricia standing there with smiles on their faces. "What?" I asked them as I grabbed the stack of plates to take to the tables.

"Only you could turn a wild animal into a dang house pet." My dad said as he chuckled.

I simply shrugged my shoulders as I went about setting the table since I was the first one in the house.

After a simple meal of corn cakes with blueberry and honey syrup, eggs, and sausage we sent the kids outside to do their daily chores while us adults sat around to discuss a good cleanup strategy. "Maybe we can use the bodies as a sort of road block to block access to the farm." Rosita suggested as she leans back in her chair.

"That's not a bad idea but if some psycho sees a pile of bodies blocking a road that may just give them more fuel to come looking for the place." Carol chimed in.

"If we burn the bodies then we need to do it far from here because the smoke and fire will be able to be seen from miles away." Rick said as he threw an arm around Michonne's chair, not caring that Lori was sitting at the table too. They had became more open about their relationship but hadn't just came out with it yet.

Daryl leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "I think haulin' 'em off and just dumpin' them somewhere would be our best bet. It won't attract any attention with smoke or obvious large piles of bodies. We can use the trailers and trucks we got and haul 'em in several different directions and scatter 'em out so that nothin' leads back here."

Michonne smiled at me as I leaned into Daryl's side. "I think that is the smartest idea yet." Michonne said brightly. "Daylight's wasting." She said as she stood from the table with her plate in her hand to take to the kitchen sink.

Within minutes we all, except for the select few staying behind, walked out of the gates and directly into the carnage that had happened overnight. "Jesus Christ." I muttered as I stepped over bodies to get out of the path of destruction. The vehicles were parked along the dirt road that led to our driveway because we needed every square inch of the property inside the gates.

"I wonder where they came from." Maggie commented as we headed for one of the trucks to back it into the driveway so we wouldn't have to carry the bodies very far.

I shrugged my shoulders as I hopped into the passenger seat of the truck closest to us. "Who knows?"

Loading body after body was exhausting work but by dark the vehicles were loaded and the fence was cleared of the carnage of dead bodies. The hauling off would have to happen tomorrow. Kayden and Baylee had recognized some of the walkers as people from their old community while Maggie and I recognized some as being people we had known from town.

"Can we go check out my old community after we get finished with this cleanup?" Kayden asked as we walked side by side back towards the gate from parking the last of the trucks along the edge of the gravel road. "I was friends with some of them people at one time and would like to know how they are doing. Do you think it would be possible to go check on them?"

Stepping through the outermost gate that had been left cracked open most of the day I turned to smile up at Dale who had been keeping watch from up above while us younger ones had done the heavy lifting of the corpses. "Everything looking good up there?" I called up to him.

"Yep, y'all finished for the day?" He called back down to me.

I nodded. "Yeah, are we the last ones through?"

"No, Daryl and Rick took Trouble on a final perimeter check before it got too dark. They should be back soon though." He said with a smile.

"Okay. Thanks Dale." I called with a wave as Kayden and I walked through the interior gate. "I'll talk to Daryl and Rick when they get back about going to check out your old community. I'm sure they won't mind making the detour though I know they're going to want to be cautious about approaching the place because we know nothing about it except what you guys have told us." I explained as we walked to the bucket that was full of water for us to do a quick wash up before dinner.

Kayden nodded in understanding. "If Daryl and Rick don't want to go then I'll just ask Jesus if he'll go with me. One way or another I'm going to check on the place and any people who may be left there."

"I understand and I hope there are no hard feelings because I can't give you a definite answer without talking to some of the others." I explained as I used my hands to wipe the grime off my bare arms, face, and neck.

"There's not because at the end of the day this place is what matters the most and it as well as the people here need to be protected at all costs. But I also have to be able to sleep at night and this is something I need to do. As a human being and as a man. I hope you understand where I'm coming from too." He said as he washed up next to me. "I am forever grateful that you guys took in me, my sisters, and my nephew without much question so please don't doubt my loyalty to you guys and this place." He said softly.

I shook my head. "I don't and they won't either. We all understand the need to check on old friends. Maybe if the community is still standing and willing, we can work out some kind of trade or barter system that can be beneficial to both of our communities. This could be the start of something great, Kayden."

Kayden smiled at me. "That sounds amazing, Beth. I never thought of it that way."

I just laughed as I shook my hands off before heading to the house to see if I could help with dinner.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Sitting in the floor between Daryl's knees as we had a family meeting about Kayden's request to go check on his old community I couldn't help but rest my head against his knee as I wrapped my arm around his leg that cradled my body. "Ya okay, Lucky?" Daryl asked softly as he played with my braided ponytail that was spread across his lap.

I nodded, rubbing my cheek against the worn material of his jeans. "Yeah, just tired." I whispered softly before tuning back into the conversation Rick and Abraham were having. They were discussing logistics on how best to approach the gated community that used to house Kayden and his sisters.

"I think we all need all of our strongest players to go on this one. Because from what Kayden says it's a fairly huge place with tall steel walls but the fact that it sits on a river and is surrounded by lush forests works in our favor." Rick said before nodding in Michonne, Rosita, and Daryl's directions. "You three will be our secret weapons. Two snipers and an archer with a deadly aim."

Everyone around the room nodded in agreement except Maggie. "I've got to sit this one out. I'm sorry guys."

"What? Why?" I asked sitting up straight between Daryl's legs so I could look at my sister clearly. Chancing a quick glance at our father let me know he was just as concerned as I was because he was twisting his cane, that Tyrese had made him a few weeks ago because he had started limping more noticeably, nervously between his hands. "What's wrong?"

Maggie looked over at Glenn before smiling down at me with watery eyes. "We're pregnant. About three months or so along."

I scrambled to my feet as I rushed to wrap both Maggie and Glenn in a huge hug as congratulations sounded around the room. "Why are you just now saying anything?" I asked softly as Maggie dragged my hands down to her stomach so I could feel the small bump that was hidden beneath her baggy shirt.

"Because we wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. Glenn found me a book about pregnancy and it said that miscarriages are most likely to happen within the first trimester so we decided to just wait." She explained with watery eyes. "But I think he's going to be just fine."

"He?" I asked softly as I stroked her small bump.

Glenn chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders. "She thinks it's a boy because she's been having dreams about a baby boy."

Smiling up at them I pressed a kiss to Glenn's cheek and then Maggie's before whispering my congratulations once again before making my way back across the room to settle in Daryl's lap this time with my arm around his neck and legs draped over his while his arm wrapped around my back to hold me in place. "I wonder who'll be next in line." I whispered in his ear causing him to grunt but otherwise remain silent.

Later that night as Daryl and I walked towards our space with Trouble trotting lazily between us, our joined hands swinging above her back. "How do you feel about Maggie's news?" I asked Daryl softly since we weren't the only ones milling about in the yard.

Daryl shrugged. "I dunno. Bringin' a kid into this world is dangerous. Ya know that." He said as he squeezed my hand.

"I do but why should we stop living just because the world has gone to shit? We have made this place safe, Daryl. Babies are bound to happen without birth control." I explained as we reached the doorway that led to our green space that we shared with Glenn and Maggie.

He nodded as he tugged on my hand to pull me flush against his chest. "Are ya gettin' baby fever already, Lucky?" Daryl growled playfully against my lips as I giggled at his sudden playfulness.

"Nope. I like having you all to myself right now." I giggled against his lips before biting his bottom lip which changed the entire tune of the moment.

With a deep guttural growl he slid his hands down my back until he cupped my jean clad buttocks and lifting me up his body so I could wrap my legs around his waist. Sliding my arms over his shoulders I sunk my fingers into his longish hair before gripping it to tug his head back slightly. "Take me." I growled against his lips. "Hard."

He walked us through the doorway of our house, kicking it shut behind him before striding over to our table and setting me down on it. "You sure?" He asked as he made quick work of our clothes. It seemed like it was just seconds before we were both naked and panting.

"Yes." I moaned as I lay back across the table, my hands reaching up to cup my small breasts in my hands. "Please, Daryl."

With firm hands on my hips he flipped me over so that I lay face down on the table, with my toes barely touching the ground. "You asked for it." He growled as he slid a finger up my thigh and through my slickness. "God, you're so damn wet."

I moaned as I pressed my heated cheek against the cool surface of the wood table. "Daryl…" I gasped as he slid inside me in one smooth solid stroke that bumped my thighs into the edge of the table.

He was so in tune to my body that he knew the biting edge of the table hurt, so with a tight grip on my hips he pulled me towards him a few inches before sliding his hands up my body to cover my hands as they lay flat on the table. "Hold on." He growled in my ear before pressing a wet kiss against the back of my neck as he pressed his hips flush against mine.

I nodded as I gripped the edge of the table tightly as he pulled all the way out until just the tip of him rested inside the slickness of my body causing me to wiggle my hips in anticipation. "Daryl…" I whined when he flexed his fingers on my hips.

Instead of speaking actual words he spoke with movement. He wreaked absolute havoc on my body as he pounded in and out of my body. I was a quivering shaking mess when he bent over my back, pressing his chest against my sweaty back, to groan his orgasm out in my ear. "Lucky, damn woman." He groaned as he collapsed against my back, his breathing erratic.

I couldn't help but chuckle as he rolled off of me with a groan. "You okay there, babe?" I asked with a chuckle as I simply turned my head over to look at him because I couldn't move much else right now.

He shook his head with a groan. "I'm too damn old to be fucking on the damn kitchen table." He groaned as he sat up, his back crackling with the movement causing him to shake his head as he sat on the edge of the table. "See what I mean?"

"You put me here!" I told him as I rolled to sit next to him. "I would've been just as happy on the bed." I chirped as I hopped off the table, his seed running down my thighs.

With a groan he hopped off the table, snagging my hand and tugging me into the bed. "I ain't complainin', Lucky. I swear cause seein' you spread out on our table was hot as hell."

I slapped his chest playfully as I curled into his side with a huge yawn.

The next day was spent planning every single detail of the upcoming trip to Valona, Georgia which was normally a little over two hours away on this side of the large Shell bluff River. We planned to make it at least a three to six day trip depending on what we found when we got there or ran into along the way. Absolute best case scenario was three days; one day getting there and staking the place out, one day checking the place out and letting Kayden check on people he knew, and the final day coming back and scavenging a bit on the way. Nearly all of our strong players were going on this little adventure; Abraham, Rosita, Bob, Sasha, Michonne, Carol, Rick, Daryl, Myself, Kayden, Jesus, Aaron, Nathan, Ryan, Karen, T-Dogg, Tara, Andrea, and of course Trouble. The dog got to ride shotgun with Rick and Michonne because she refused to stay at home without us. The rest were staying behind to keep up with the daily work that was required at the farm and to protect the kids, animals, and property. With the majority of our people going on this trip we were splitting up four people to a vehicle plus me and Daryl on the motorcycle. We were leaving the extra space just in case we ended up with extra passengers on the trip home which meant we were taking four different vehicles and creating a legit convoy to Riverside Estates. Lori, Baylee, and Patricia spent the day packing enough food to last the eighteen of us at least two weeks because Patricia believed in preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.

"You ready for this trip?" Daryl asked as he checked his motorcycle over, giving it a tune up for the trip tomorrow. I was sitting in the grass watching him and writing in my journal as I leaned back against the big oak tree I used to climb as a kid.

Looking up at him I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. We've prepared as much as we possibly can so the rest is just up to nature and whatever higher being is controlling things right now." I said softly before glancing over at Emily, Macey, and Mika as they worked in the garden under the careful eye of Dakota. They had excitedly told me that they would take care of the gardens while I was gone and would not ruin anything either. Despite my faith in the girls and Dakota's abilities to not spoil all of our food in the root cellars or destroy the gardens in my absence I had left extensive notes on everything as if I was going to gone for an entire month instead of just a few days.

"Stuck like glue, m'kay?" He said with a wink at me before turning back to his motorcycle.

I giggled as I turned my attention back to my notebook journal. "Always." I confirmed without looking up.

The very next morning we were all climbing in our vehicles to head out just as the sun began to break up the darkness of the night. Well…everybody else was climbing into their vehicles while Daryl and I stood next to his motorcycle talking with my dad, Glenn, and an emotional Maggie. "Please keep her close, Daryl." Maggie pleaded yet again as she looked up at Daryl with wide teary eyes.

"We're stuck like glue once we get outside those walls. Maggie you best believe that I will die protectin' her. She's my entire world." Daryl told her as he pulled me from my sisters clutches yet again while looking towards my dad and Glenn for help. Glenn wrapped his arms around Maggie and pulled her against his chest while rubbing soothing hands up and down her back in an attempt to calm her down. "We gotta get goin'. We're leadin' the way." Daryl said as he heard the vehicles being cranked up for the drive.

I watched as Daryl climbed on the bike, balancing it between his strong thighs. He winked at me as my eyes darkened slightly before clearing his throat and holding out a hand for me. "Thank you, kind sir." I teased as I placed my hand in his before throwing my leg over the bike to settle into what had become my seat.

"Anytime, Lucky." He growled as the bike roared to life beneath my spread legs. "Ya ready?" He asked over his shoulder as he sat down in front of me.

Nodding my head I leaned forward slightly to wrap my arms around his waist, tucking my fingers beneath the edge of his angel wing vest while my cheek rested gently on his shoulder. "Always." I whispered against his ear before smiling over at my family. "See y'all in a few days. Don't kill my gardens while I'm gone." I teased as Daryl began easing the bike forward, skirting around the cars that were waiting patiently on us to get a move on.

As we ventured down the highways we had to make several stops to push vehicles out of the way so our convoy could pass without hitting the grass that could be more dangerous than us getting out to clear the highway. Especially with the rains we had gotten over the past few weeks. We had a system that worked when we had to stop; the guys did the pushing of the vehicles while the women scavenged for useful things and siphoned gas. As we were cruising down an empty stretch of highway on the outskirts of a small town we took several turns to avoid going through I spotted a brown building with the trademark yellow sign sitting just off the edge of the highway. Tapping Daryl's shoulder urgently I pointed towards the still in tact building with the empty parking lot. "Wanna stop?" I called out to him when he slowed down. We were a good distance ahead of the others so it gave us a minute to come to a decision before flagging the others down.

Daryl slowed the bike down before easing into the parking lot that was cracked due to the grass growing through the pavement. "Whatcha think?" He asked as he slowed the bike to a stop near the front doors. "Wanna peck on the windows and see what's in there?" Daryl asked as he planted his feet on the ground to hold the bike steady.

I shrugged my shoulders as I climbed off the motorcycle with my hands braced on his shoulders. "Wouldn't hurt. We can always hit it up on the way back if it's a good find." I said as I pulled my knife from my belt sheath so I could peck on the tinted glass. But first I tested the door to make sure they were locked. Pulling on the handle I smiled when they didn't budge. "It looks like it's locked from the inside which means this store could still be fully intact from before the turn. How likely is that?" I asked Daryl as I raised the hilt of my knife in preparation to peck on the glass.

"Not likely at all." Daryl said with a smirk on his face.

I stuck my tongue out at him before I pecked gently on the glass of the doors. "Buzz kill." I said as I cupped my hands over the glass so I could get a look inside. After a few more pecks on the glass I saw one lonely walker in typical store worker garb amble towards the front door. When she got to the front window I saw the cause of her turn. She had slit her wrists. "It looks to just be one young worker who took the easy way out." I told Daryl as he flagged down the rest of our convoy as they neared where we were at. I'm sure the food is either bad or been eaten by this worker but I'm sure most of the other things will still be in there. Diapers, formula, clothes, shoes, socks, soap, shampoo, cleaning stuff, and so much more." I rattled off as I walked over to the car that Rick, Michonne, Trouble, Jesus, and Kayden were riding in.

"What's it look like, Beth?" Michonne asked as she stepped from the SUV to let Trouble out.

Reaching down to pet my big baby I pressed a kiss to the side of her furry head before whispering for her to go pee. "Stay close, Trouble." I told her as I stood back up to face Michonne. "There just appears to be one young worker inside that took the easy way out. Like I was telling Daryl I'm sure the food is no good but we could find so much useful stuff in there that we could use at the farm."

"We doing this now or on the way back?" Kayden asked as he leaned out the window of the SUV.

Smiling at him I reached out to tug on his ear. "Same as we discussed before leaving the farm. We'll scavenge on the way back because our main priority right now is to get to Riverside so you can check on your old friends."

"Okay. Thanks." He said with a smile. "I don't know how this place hasn't been found before now." He said in wonder as he rested his arms on the window ledge of the car door.

I shrugged. "It is kind of off the beaten path. You've said before that Dick and you guys would hit small towns, not just travel the backroads searching every house you came upon." I reminded him just as Daryl waved me over. "I'll be back." I told them as I headed towards Daryl who was absentmindedly scratching Trouble between her ears while he watched me walk his way.

After a little discussion it was agreed upon by all that we would mark this place down on the map and hit it on our way back in a few days. Plus, our trunks were full of fresh produce and canned goods in the hopes that we could work out some sort of trade with the Riverside people so we wouldn't be able to take everything we wanted to right now anyways. Once the location was marked on all the maps we loaded back in our vehicles and continued on our journey. What would typically take us two and a half hours to drive took us almost seven with all the stops we had to make so the sun was high in the sky when we got there indicating it was not long past noon when we came to a stop about a mile from the community.

Once we found a house to hole up in and our vehicles spaced out so they weren't all piled up in one spot we all sat down to discuss our next move.

Whether to approach today or just scope the place out until tomorrow.

"I think I should be the one to walk up to the gates. They know me." Kayden said from where he sat against the wall next to where Jesus was standing.

Rick nodded. "I can agree to that but I also don't want you walking up there by yourself. We don't do that."

Kayden nodded in understanding. "I get that but these aren't bad people, Rick. They're just trying to survive. Like us. Let me and Jesus walk up to the gates and I can prove that to you. The people that took over once Dick was dead are really nice and understanding people. Timothy and Sarah. They were running it before Dick took over and changed things for the worst." Kayden rambled.

Rosita spoke up next. "That's who they were when you left with your sisters. They may not be the same people now as they were then. We need to be smart about this. We had this all planned out before we ever left the house so I think we need to stick to that plan instead of just winging it. Winging things gets people dead. If anything we can search these houses surrounding us for anything we might find useful." She said as she sat in Abraham's lap.

"I have to agree with Rosie here. We've lost a bunch of people by just winging things and it's just not worth it. We have a good thing going at the farm and we all deserve to get back to it in one piece." Abraham said in his gruff voice.

Kayden sighed in defeat but nodded anyways. "I get it. I'm just anxious to see what's happened to the place and who's still there. We've already scavenged through these houses but the needs at the farm are different than the needs of Riverside so there might still be plenty to find."

We all nodded in understanding as we prepared to scavenge the neighborhood until dark. "Like glue, Lucky, but keep ya eyes alert." Daryl growled at me as we took off down the street with empty packs on our backs and our wolf dog trotting beside us.

"Got it." I whispered as I scanned the area around us. We scavenged until it started getting dark then headed back to our camp house for the night. Our packs weren't overflowing but we found a few useful things. Some toys for the kids, books, a bag of rice that the rodents hadn't found yet, maternity clothes, batteries, and candles. "I don't miss doing this crap at all." I muttered as Daryl and I crossed the street together, with Trouble trotting along ahead of us with her tongue lolling out of her mouth.

When we got back to the house seen that everybody else had poured their finds out on the kitchen counters so we added ours to the already started piles so we could take inventory before we headed back home. "This is a pretty decent haul considering these houses have already been picked over by the Riverside folks." I commented as I surveyed the kitchen counters that contained a jug of apple cider vinegar which Patricia would greatly appreciate as well as a large container of salt and some other spices. Then there were clothes, shoes, toiletries, dogfood, razors, towels, and a variety of other stuff scattered around the room.

When we made it back to the living room where everybody was congregated, Daryl pulled me to the window seat where he sat down before pulling me between his legs to sit. "Kayden, ya sure y'all went through these houses?" Daryl asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "That's a lot of stuff left behind in there." He said nodding towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, but Dick wasn't really concerned with those things. He mainly just wanted batteries, weapons, and food." Kayden explained. "Everything else was considered useless to him."

Daryl and I both nodded as we truly understood the reason for our fairly decent afternoon haul.

We spent the rest of the evening eating dinner before settling down on our pallets in the living room of the house while we each took turns, two at a time, being on watch out on the front porch. The next morning we all rolled our makeshift beds up, stuffing them into our packs before shouldering them and our weapons before making it silently out of the house and through the woods to the community that had created a lot of worry and hope in all of us. As soon as we caught the first glimpse of the massive steel walls Rosita and Sasha separated from us to go find a high point while the rest of us spread out along the wall with Kayden, Jesus, and Rick walking up the main road in clear view of the folks standing watch on top of the massive walls.

I watched with bated breath as a door opened in the wall when Kayden, Rick, and Jesus were probably fifteen feet from the wall. Out stepped an older couple that I presumed were the ones in charge of the community hidden behind the massive walls. When they scanned the woods surrounding the area I held my breath until their eyes landed back on Kayden and company. With just a few spoken words the woman pulled Kayden into a warm embrace while she sobbed against his shoulder. Rick glanced over his shoulder through the woods and gave a very slightly shake of his head which let us know that we were to just hang tight for the time being while the three of them went inside the walls.

Sitting on my tree limb I waited patiently for any kind of signal to be given. One long whistle meant there was trouble and we should attack cautiously. Three frantic short whistles meant we should attack quickly and with full force. Nothing meant to just continue to hang tight because everything was fine. Two long whistles meant we were to approach the door to come inside. I watched the sun move along in the sky as I quietly shift on my tree limb to keep my legs from falling asleep. "Ya okay, Lucky?" Daryl's quiet voice came from below me almost startling me out of my tree.

"What are you doing over here?" I hissed down at him as I glanced to the wall before settling my eyes on his gorgeous face.

He shrugged his shoulders as he climbed the tree to sit on a limb on the other side of mine. "Bored. Ain't nothin' happenin'."

Cocking my head to side I glared at him. "Daryl Dixon, bored? I don't believe it. Ya just don't like being out here while Rick is in there. Y'all's bromance is so adorable." I said with a slight giggle.

"We don't got no bromance." He groused as he settled his crossbow across his lap as he settled his gaze on the wall that we could see through the trees.

Michonne's voice cut through the woods next causing both of us to glance down to see her coming quietly through the trees towards us. "No bromance, huh? Whatcha call it then?" She asked as she leaned against a tree in front of us.

"Brothers." Daryl snapped before glaring at both of us. "Why ain't nobody keepin' their spots?" He snapped at Michonne.

I barked out a laugh before slapping a hand over my mouth but Michonne made the comment for me. "Oh really? Is this where you are supposed to be Dixon? I thought you were out next to the edge of the road."

He grunted but we all snapped to attention as the first whistle sounded out from behind the walls. Daryl and I quickly scrambled from our tree limbs until we were standing shoulder to shoulder with Michonne staring at the massive wall waiting for more whistles. "I don't wanna attack these people." I mumbled quietly as I leaned slightly into Daryl's shoulder.

"None of us do." Michonne whispered just as a second long whistle sounded out over the wall causing us all to breathe a sigh of relief. "And now we don't have to." She said as she led the way out of the woods.

The fifteen of us and Trouble, who had went with Sasha to her sniper point, met up on the road and made our way slowly towards the door where Rick and the older man stood waiting for us with smiles on their faces. Daryl held his crossbow in his hands, prepared to fire the arrow at any moment. Sasha and Rosita held their massive sniper rifles in their arms with their fingers resting against the trigger in case the need to use their guns arose quickly. Michonne had her katana held tightly in her grip ready to swipe someone's head off in an instant. The rest of us held our guns and knifes in our hands prepared to win a fight we all secretly hoped wouldn't happen. As we approach the man and Rick we watch the older man's eyes go wide at the sight of us and all of our weapons plus Trouble was intimidating enough on her own. Rick said something to the man before stepping away from him towards us which caused all of us to come to a stop in the middle of the road. "You guys can lower your weapons and act a little civilized. It's all good on the other side of the wall." Rick said with a shake of his head as he eyeballed Daryl, Michonne, Sasha, and Rosita specifically.

Michonne lowered her katana but didn't sheath it, Daryl lowered his crossbow, and everyone else slowly followed suit. "Rick?" Daryl called to gain his attention before continuing. "What's it like in there?" He growled as he flicked his eyes at me and then to trouble.

"It's good. I swear. They're a lot like the farm, just families and people trying to survive the apocalypse." Rick said motioning back to the man who was now standing in the open doorway with the elderly woman we had all seen come out earlier to greet Kayden so enthusiastically. "This is Tim and his wife Sarah. They run this place with the help of the others inside. Come on in and meet everyone then we've been invited to stay the night here tonight. If we want." Rick said with a large smile on his face as his hands settled on his gun that rested low on his hip.

We all glanced at each other before following after Rick, our weapons still out but lowered. "Like glue, Lucky." Daryl whispered as we neared the doorway.

"Yep." I murmured back as I followed him through the door to catch my first look at the community hidden behind the large steel wall.


	19. Chapter 19

**The absolute lack of reviews is causing me to wrap this story up quicker than I originally wanted to. When I first started this story I had BIG plans for these characters as they flourished on the farm but now I'm just ready to be done out of pure frustration.**

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Chapter 19

I'm not sure what I was expecting but all of these huge beautiful homes were not it. "Wow." I breathed as I took it all in while Trouble was whining next to me. She was nervous at the new people and environment and I couldn't blame her. "How many people do you have living here?" I asked Tim and Sarah as we followed along behind them.

"We did have almost a hundred people living here before Dick took over, now we're down to fifty-seven but that will be fifty-eight in the next few weeks." Sarah said as she smiled over her shoulder at me. "We have twenty-seven houses here that are habitable and the others are used for storage, the infirmary, and the jail."

Andrea let out a low whistle as she edged her way to the front of the group. "So what's the point of us all coming in here? To show us how fancy this place is? To brag? Or what?"

Tim and Sarah came to a stop and faced us with frowns on their faces. "We have no right to brag about anything, young lady. But if you think that's what we're doing then you are more than welcome to walk back out that gate and spend the night out there while your friends enjoy a comfortable bed, warm food, and a hot shower." Sarah snapped at Andrea with a frown on her face.

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at Andrea being put in her place by rank strangers for her insufferable attitude.

"The point of all this is to show you all that we are good people. These big fancy houses were here before the turn and we just happened to live in one before the turn happened. The army put up chain link fences around the property, blocking us off all except for on the water side. Once the army was gone a bunch of us stayed and made the chain link fences work for a while until we got overrun and decided to reinforce them to keep the remaining people and any newcomers safe from the dead. This is our home but as long as we are all alive and breathing then I think that makes us all equal. Don't you? These fancy houses won't protect us from the dead, disease, or warfare." Tim said before throwing his arms out wide. "We work hard, just like you I'm sure, to keep this place going. These big fancy house don't mean nothing to any of us. Every single one of us that lives in these big fancy houses you seem hung up on would be just as willing to sleep in a tent in the woods if could be safe in them. We'd also give them up in a heartbeat if it would bring back the ones we've lost." Tim said softly before wrapping his arm around Sarah's shoulders, pulling her into his side. "Now, shall we continue on?" he asked softly.

We all nodded before falling into step behind the lovely couple once again. "I think I love them already." I chuckled into Daryl's shoulder as I wrapped an arm around his waist while Trouble nudged my hand nervously. "It's okay, pretty girl, just meeting some new friends." I told her as I rubbed between her ears.

Daryl looked around me at Trouble before tapping his thigh to get her to come over to his side, since she was more his dog than mine. "Andrea's jus' a bitch. I'm glad they put'er in 'er place." He whispered against my ear before pressing a kiss there. "Love ya, Lucky."

"I love you too." I whispered back with a scowl as my dog trotted behind us to Daryl's free side.

We followed Tim and Sarah to what I presumed was an empty lot that they had turned into a massive garden before they stopped. "This is our main garden but each of us has smaller gardens at each house. With our coastal climate we pretty much grow things year round but wheat. We haven't managed to get it to grow wheat, beans, or corn here yet. Rice on the other hand, we have plenty of. We have tubs full of rice in the store room." Sarah explained with a smile on her face. "Being this close to the ocean causes too much salt to be in the soil for corn, wheat, and beans. Or at least that's what Sam, our resident garden expert says."

I chuckled and looked at her. "We have the opposite problem at the farm. We can grow wheat, corn, beans, and pretty much everything else but carrots and rice." I said with a shake of my head. "It's too dry for the rice and the soil is too hard for the carrots."

"You must be the resident gardener for your community?" Sarah asked me with a kind smile on her face. "Maybe we can work out a trade between our communities."

With a smile on my face I nodded eagerly. "Absolutely but our place is just a farm. Do you have animals here?" I asked.

"Goats." Timothy said with a smile on his face. "Sheep and a horse. Do you guys have animals at your farm?"

Everyone groaned because the animals made a lot of ruckus that everybody had been forced to help fix. "Yes. We have nine cows, two horses, several pigs, and chickens."

"Oh wow." Tim and Sarah both breathed with wide eyes.

"We were an operational farm before the turn so we had the animals before everything happened. The walls that we have all painstakingly put up has kept us and them safe." I explained.

The couple nodded in understanding. "We'll sit down in the morning and work out some kind of trade deal. I'm sure our communities could be very beneficial to each other. This could be the beginning of a good thing. And if we can find other communities we could continue to grow this new growth." Sarah said before waving us forward once again.

"Most of our food supply comes from the river though. Fish, shrimp, clams, crabs, and alligator." Tim explained as we passed a dock that had two boats tied to the end of it. "The guys use these boats to go get their actual fishing boats from the marina down the river a way. Our dock isn't long enough for them to keep them here."

None of us had any experience with commercial fishing as far as I knew of so it was no surprise that nobody said anything.

"No fishermen in the bunch, huh?" Tim asked with a chuckle as we continued forward.

We all shook our heads as we followed after him around the bend towards the huge covered pavilion like structure that was set up as an outdoor kitchen with picnic table taking up the majority of the space. "This is basically our gathering spot. It's where we all gather to make decisions for the community and to celebrate whatever occasion pops up. We also have a community meal together every Sunday while our resident preaches says a few words." Sarah explained as she waved her hand at the large outdoor pavilion structure. "Everyone will gather here tonight for a special meal to welcome all of you into our community but in the mean time let me show you to the houses that you will all be staying in tonight." Sarah said with a smile on her face. "I figured you guys would like it best if you was closest to the wall and since those houses are unoccupied you can chose to either spread out or stay together. The houses available to you are the first four on the left side of the road and the first three on the right side of the road." Sarah explained as she and Tim stood in front of us with bright smiles on your faces. "Please make yourselves at home here for the duration of your stay."

After a few minutes our group turned together and began walking back down the road towards the entrance. "So are we going to stay here tonight or no? And where's Kayden and Jesus? Are we using their vehicles to go get our stuff or borrowing from them?" Sasha rapid fired the questions at Rick as we put space between us and our hosts.

Rick held up a hand to stop her questions. "Kayden and Jesus are around. I haven't heard any ruckus or whistles so far so I'm guessing they are okay and just catching up with the people Kayden wanted to see. As far as staying here and using their vehicles, I suggest we take a look at the houses they offered us, pick one, and then we'll have a family meeting to discuss those things. Sound good?"

We all nodded for the most part as we started back up the road that led to the gate. It was a unanimous decision for us all to stay in the same house that was closest to the gate with the easiest escape route. Just in case these people turned out to be crazy cannibals or something. Abraham said it was possible because he had been fooled once and come to find out the people took them in just to snack on them later. Aaron pointed out that this would was built for psychos to reign supreme, which is what happened to his once peaceful community in West Virginia. Once we picked out the house we all settled down in the massive living room that looked like it belonged in a fancy catalog instead of in the zombie apocalypse. "Okay, so we're staying here tonight?" Carol asked from the kitchen where she was rummaging through the cabinets. There was some food in them, but not much.

"I don't see what it would hurt." I said softly. "They would have to be crazy to attack a house full of armed people that are obviously capable of surviving in this world. I think we need to do this to show them that we are trustworthy. There has to be some good people left in the world and like Sarah said earlier, this could be the beginning of a new trade and barter system. Do you guys realize how beneficial it would be to the farm if we were able to trade items with this community?" I asked the group as they all looked at me. With a roll of my eyes I continued. "I know none of you are much of a farmer but let me tell you, if we only trade the few vegetables mentioned earlier it could be life changing for us. Not to mention the meat that can be traded. We need this guys, to grow, to flourish. Let's just give them a chance." I pleaded with our group of people just as a knock sounded on the front door that we had locked earlier.

I got up to answer the door while everybody else contemplated my rant and whispered amongst themselves. Slipping the curtain to the side I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Kayden and Jesus standing on the front porch with bright smiles on their faces. "Hey guys!" I chirped as I yanked open the front door with a bright smile of my own.

By the time we heard the signal that dinner was close to being served, something Kayden explained, it was a unanimous decision to stay the night and work out a trade deal in the morning before heading back to the farm.

As our group strolled down the street towards the gathering pavilion the other community members were pouring from their houses with bright smiles on their faces. Some of the men and women were carrying covered dishes and pitchers of drinks. I saw a woman struggling to balance a bowl and a chubby little baby so I quickly walked over to offer my help. "Need a hand?" I asked her as I barely caught the bowl before it tumbled to the ground.

"Thanks, I forget how squirmy and chunky she is until I attempt to balance her and something else." The young woman explained with a laugh.

Pulling the bowl into my arms I fell into step beside her. "I'm Beth."

"Trisha." She said with a smile. "And this little girl is Sophie."

"She's adorable. How old is she?" I asked as I watched Daryl and Trouble make their way over to me.

The next morning, shortly after breakfast, we were being given a ride back to the house we had camped in when we first got in the area.

As a show of good faith Tim and Sarah had offered to give us a ride back as well as several containers of food. Rice, shrimp, fish, crab, mushrooms, and carrots. In turn we had given them the food that Patricia, Lori, and Baylee had sent with us. "You sure you don't need a ride to your cars?" Sarah asked as she stacked a container that the mushrooms on the porch next to the other containers.

I laughed pointing around us. "Our vehicles are all around here. We just spread them out to keep from being so obvious about where we were holed up at. It's a diversion tactic." I explained, taking a seat on the edge of the porch.

"Seems like you folks are better equipped to be out here than we are, we would've never thought of that." Sarah said, sitting down next to me.

"It was a lesson learned the hard way. I promise." I explained with a sad shake of my head.

Sarah wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Well I'm extremely glad that Kayden talked all of you into coming our way. We're just disappointed that he and his lovely little sisters had such a bad experience here while Dick controlled the place. Looking back, we're not even sure how he took control of the place since he wasn't there originally."

Shrugging my shoulders I looked out at my family chatting with her husband and the other man, Waylon, who had drove all of us here. I couldn't help but smile at all of them. "It doesn't really matter now because he's gone and we're here." I told her softly. "This world is better off without people like that vile man in it. I'm just sorry that Baylee and baby Ian lost so much in all of this. But she's doing okay at the farm and Ian is growing like a weed."

"I would love to see them somehow so I could apologize for letting that man treat them so horribly." Sarah said hanging her head low. "The one time that Tim and I defied him he took our son, Lyle, out on a run the next day. He says he left him out there somewhere, tied up so the dead could have a feast off of him."

"That's just horrible, Sarah. Maybe Lyle made it and is surviving somewhere else. It's possible Sarah. I've been told by others to not count anybody dead unless you see with your own two eyes that they are actually dead." I said in an attempt at consoling the sweet and kind woman.

She shook her head. "I'm sure anything is possible, Beth, but for my sanity it's better that we just accept that he's gone.

"Lucky?" Daryl called out as he stepped from the trees where he had been taking Trouble on a good walk before we hit the road for home.

I snapped my head in his direction so quickly that Sarah just laughed. "You two give me hope for the future." She commented before standing and going to her own husband.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"We're gonna need at least one or two more vehicles to make this haul worth the stop." Rick said as we all gathered in the parking of the store we had scouted on the way to Riverside.

Abraham nodded before grabbing Rosita's hand. "We'll get to looking while you guys clean the store out." He called over his shoulder as they disappeared around the corner of the store.

I shook my head at them as I walked up to the storefront window, pecking on the glass with the butt of my knife drawing the lonely walker back to the window. Without a word even spoken, Sasha knelt before the lock on the front door and got to work picking the lock so we didn't have to bust the glass out and make unnecessary noise. As she was focused on getting the door open, I pecked further down the window to draw the walker away from the door. Growling from behind me caught my attention but I shouldn't have been worried with all of us here because between Michonne's katana wielding skills and Daryl's quickness with the crossbow the small group of walkers was quickly dealt with. Sasha let out an audible sigh when the growling stopped just seconds before the telltale click of the lock giving way sounded quietly. I pecked on the glass a few more times in an attempt at keeping the walker distracted while Sasha packed her tools back into her pocket and stood up with her knife ready in her hand.

Nodding at her I followed her into the store where she quickly took care of the walker, dropping her to the floor in a heap just a few feet inside the front door. "Oh, Daryl's going to love this." Sasha muttered as she pointed to the cigarette cabinet that held a variety of packs of cigarettes.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her comment as we continued through the store with Aaron, Jesus, and Kayden right behind us to finish clearing it, officially. When we all stepped into the back room with our weapons held high Kayden let out a low whistle at what we saw. Shelf upon shelf packed with merchandise that was ours for the picking if we so chose. "I've been scouting and scavenging since the turn first happened and I don't think I've ever been this lucky before." Aaron said softly as we cleared the back of the store.

"We deserve a little luck in our lives." Sasha commented as she sheathed her knife once the room was searched through.

Shaking my head at them I headed back up front. "Don't put the cart before the horse. We ain't out of here yet." I called over my shoulder as I pushed through the swinging doors that led to the main room.

They all grumbled at my old fashioned saying as they followed me to the front where the rest of the group was just walking through the front doors. "How's it lookin', Lucky?" Daryl asked as he came towards me with long purposeful strides.

"It's almost untouched. This is going to be a massive haul but a lot of this stuff will be useless to us though. The clothes may be dry rotted but we can check them, the canned food is mostly expired, and I'm sure rodents have had a field day in here with most of the boxed food. Plus, there is no sense in being greedy but we'll take more than we need so that we can pass it onto the people of Riverside at the next trade meeting." I said to him as we stood in the middle of the room, surveying the full shelves all around us.

Daryl pressed a kiss to the side of my head before turning towards Rick with a smirk on his face. "Told ya'."

Rick mock glared at me before his face broke out into a smile. "Yeah yeah, y'all heard her. Times a wastin'." He said waving his arms around the room. "Let's get to it. Split up and conquer."

Rosita and Abraham came back shortly after we began piling our full bags into every nook and cranny of the four vehicles we had. Rosita was driving the best thing for this kind of situation, a box truck with a half full tank of gas. Abraham was driving an extended cab pickup with a small trailer attached to the back of it. It took us longer than we expected to empty the store of all its useful merchandise so it was decided that we would spend the night in the store before continuing home at first light the next morning.

"Where are we going to put all of this stuff once we get home?" I asked Daryl as we sat on the shopping carts we had turned upside down in front of the store so we could rest while keeping watch out front while Karen and T-Dogg kept watch out back.

Daryl shrugged as he scanned the area in front of us, not that he could see much since the moon was just a sliver in the sky. "Don't know. You'll figure it out, m'sure."

I rolled my eyes at him as I leaned back against the wall of the building to relax. It was just a few hours before sunrise and our turn at watch was almost up so we could catch a few more hours of sleep before we hit the road. Trouble had stayed inside with Sasha. "Thanks. The basement is almost full to capacity and all of the wall spaces are occupied so I just don't know." I whispered just as a sharp whistle sounded from behind the building, alerting us to potential trouble.

Hopping off my basket I pulled my knife from my sheath while Daryl raised his crossbow in preparation to fire at the first thing that moved. "Like glue. Let's go." Daryl whispered as he began easing along the sidewalk towards the edge of the building.

When we rounded the edge of the building we saw Karen and T-Dogg stabbing their knives into the skulls of two walkers and more approaching them. Daryl quickly sent his arrow through the one that was reaching for Karen before quickly securing another bolt while I plunged my knife through the eye socket of a walker that used to be an overweight black man. The four of us quickly took care of the small herd of walkers that had surprised Karen and T-Dogg. "You guys okay?" Nathan called out as he, Andrea, Ryan, and Carol rounded the corner of the building. They were the next ones on watch duty.

"Yeah." We all chorused.

The eight of us did a perimeter sweep before we made the official watch swap. "Goodnight, Pookie. See y'all in a few hours."

I couldn't contain my giggles as Daryl grunted at Carol's use of nickname for her. "Hush, you." Daryl growled as he wrapped his arm around my neck, tugging my giggling form into his chest as he steered us towards the front of the store.

My giggles quieted as we stepped through the front doors because our people were scattered around the room trying to catch a little bit of sleep. We made our quietly to the arts and crafts section that Daryl had claimed when we first mentioned staying the night here. Once we were stretched out on the pallet of blankets we had packed for ourselves Daryl wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his body with his lips at my ear. "Love ya, Lucky."

Smiling against his arm that was resting underneath my head I couldn't believe that the universe had been wonderful enough to throw this beautiful man in my path. "I love you too, Daryl."

He pressed a kiss to the back of my head before we settled down into a light slumber wrapped in each others arms. This side of Daryl was one that only I usually got to see but the longer we were together the more at ease and free he became with public displays of affection. The next morning Trouble woke us both up when the others began stirring around the store. "Trouble." I groaned as she nudged my shoulder with her cold nose. "I'm up." I told her as I nudged Daryl in the ribs with my elbow. "Your dog needs to go pee."

"Trouble." Daryl grunted as he buried his nose in my hair while pressing his hips against mine letting me feel his morning issue.

Rolling over to face him I slid my hand down between us to press on his erection. "It's such a shame to waste this beautiful thing." I whispered in his ear.

He buried his groan in my neck at my ministrations. "Lucky." He growled with a nipping bite to my neck just as Trouble nudged me in the back with a whine. "Trouble, you're killin' me here, girl." He said with a groan as he flopped onto his back, throwing his arm over his eyes.

I giggled as I leaned over his body to press a quick kiss to his lips before standing. "We're going to the bathroom while you settle yourself down."

"Evil. Pure evil." He growled as I walked towards the front of the store with Trouble right on my heels.

Within minutes of the area being lit up by dawn I was wrapping my arms around Daryl's waist as he fired up the engine of the motorcycle to lead our convoy towards home.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Life on the farm was hard and as the harvesting season reached it's peak it got even harder. We had ten acres of wheat, corn, and alfalfa that we had to hand pick the edible parts before chopping down the remaining stalks by hand. Then we had to clear the fields of the stalks and bail them for animal bedding. This all had to be done by hand because we were living in the damn apocalypse where we couldn't just run to the store to get diesel and gas to run the big machines that would make our lives so much simpler.

"You ready for this?" I asked Baylee as we walked out of the gate towards the fenced in fields that we held our crops. Patricia was staying at the farm to watch the two babies while the rest of us tackled the fields.

She looked at me with wide eyes as she fingered the satchel Patricia and Lori had spent the past few weeks making each of us in the hopes that it would make the picking easier. "This is the first time I'm going outside the fence since Ian was born and it's also the first time I'm going to spend the whole day away from him." She said as she pressed against her breasts since it was just the two of us right now. "My breasts already hate me so I know I'm going to leak through the cloths I put in there this morning."

I chuckled at her. "No need to worry about any of that. If it gets too bad just say something and we'll get you back to the farm so you can feed. I've been told that it's painful if you go too long without nursing."

She nodded as we reached the gate in the fence that led us into the massive wheat field that was a beautiful sight to see but it caused our entire group to groan at the massive amount of work that stood before us. "Let's get started." I told her as we all spread out along the row. Reaching out to break off the first of what would ultimately be millions of wheat heads.

It took us seventeen days to clear the fields of wheat heads, corn cobs, and stalks of both. The only thing left was the crops that would soon become our seeds for next year and a thin layer of corn stalks that would be mulched back into the ground come spring. The seed crops needed a few more weeks before they were ready to be harvested.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with all of this?" I asked Maggie as we stood in the barn staring at the massive piles of corn cobs we had collected from the fields. "This is a lot of damn corn."

Maggie wrapped her arm around my shoulders pulling me into her side. It was the only way we could actually hug these days since her baby bump was steadily growing as her pregnancy progressed. "We better figure it out soon before it starts to ruin. Put that brain of yours to use so you can start bossing us all around in the morning." She told me as she pressed a kiss to the side of my head before letting me go and walking out of the barn.

Letting out a frustrated sigh I walked over to Nellie who was eating at the stalks the kids had put in her stall while we had been working out in the fields. "Is that good, girl?" I asked her as I slowly reached out to scratch between her ears. "I'm trying my best to make sure you guys eat good through the winter months too, girl. I just don't want to let anybody down, you know?" I asked her softly as she devoured her nighttime snack. She had more than earned the extra snack today, her and Jack had worked just as hard as us the past several days carrying all our haul from the fields to the farm.

"Bethie, you don't have to shoulder all of this burden yourself." My dad said as he walked slowly into the barn, leaning heavily on his cane due to his stubbornness. We had tried to get him to stay at the farm while we all worked the fields, but he had been adamant that he was going to be working right along side us. And he had. "We are all here to help you to figure all of this out. You just gotta let us help you." He said as he leaned on the edge of Jack's stall.

With a sigh I turned to face him as I folded my arms on top of Nellie's stall door. "I know that but this is important to our survival this winter. If we mess this up then us or the animals could not make it through the winter months. Plus we have the trade coming up with Riverside. The peaches have to picked within the next few days too. Not to mention all of the crops that have to be picked out of the garden and stored. It's overwhelming." I ranted, my frustration clearly present in my voice and posture.

My dad chuckled. "You are so much like your mother it's almost as if I am talking to her sometimes." He told me as he gazed at me with a soft smile on his face. "Patricia sent me out here to collect your for dinner. So for the time being lets leave the horses to their well deserved snack and go see what Patricia whipped up for us."

We slowly made our way back to the house where enjoyed a delicious dinner where the entire table discussed ways to make the most out of the crops we had spent few weeks harvesting. "My momma used to make the best cream style corn out of our extra garden corn." Rosita said with a sad smile on her face. "It can be canned just like anything else."

"I don't know if it will keep in the root cellar but I'm going to try to keep some down there whole in the husks. Won't know till we try." I said with a shrug of my shoulders as I looked around the room at all the people that were depending on me to make our vegetables stretch through the winter months. "And we've got to dry a bunch of it for the animals."

Patricia smiled at me from her spot next to Dale. "I remember my grandma trying to keep her stock of corn in the root cellar but it didn't keep over a few days. Ended up becoming animal feed anyways." She said with a sad shake of her head. "I mean, you can try but I would only recommend to do it on a small scale. Maybe 10 or so ears."

"Then what are we going to do with all of that corn?" I asked with a strangled laugh. "I was at over seven thousand ears of corn _before_ I lost count!" I exclaimed as I laid my head on the table in exasperation. Daryl placed a hand to the middle of my back in an attempt to soothe me but I didn't want to be soothed right now, I wanted some logical suggestions.

"What about grinding it into cornmeal?" Dakota spoke up from where she sat next to T-Dogg, they were spending more and more time together these days. "The cobs would have to be dried but the kernels could be ground up, just like the wheat berries."

That snapped my head up off the table where I was wallowing in self-pity. I smiled down the table at her. "I never thought of making cornmeal. Now the big question is where are we going to hang all of this dang corn to dry out?"

Lucy leaned forward with a smile of her own. "We can hang them along the fences by the peeled back husks."

"But save the silks when you peel them." Dakota said with a shake of her head.

Furrowing my brows at her I had to ask the question that was running through everybody's head. "Why the silks?"

"For corn silk tea, of course. It helps with kidney infections and such." She explained.

"Oh." I said for lack of anything else to say. Which caused everybody at the table to chuckle.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"This is absolutely amazing." Sarah said as she looked at the haul we had brought to what everybody had effectively dubbed as 'trade day'. In the bed of our truck sat several bags of pillowcases filled with flour and cornmeal, crates of things we had canned from our orchards and gardens, barrels of straw cutting and dried corn stalks for animal bedding, three piglets, five chickens, and a rug that Dakota made from the dried corn husks. "Who knew you could do this with old husks?" She said in awe as she ran her hand over the rug that was rolled up and tied with a thin string of animal hide leather.

I chuckled as I watched Daryl, Rick, and Abraham unload the stuff from the back of the truck while Waylon and two other guys from Riverside worked on unloading the bed of their own truck. They brought rice, a wide variety of seafood that had been smoked and canned, jars of salt, crates of oranges and lemons, and a several containers of lemon and orange juice. "Dakota is amazing when it comes to things like this. She's working on making baskets and other things from the corn husks too. The woman is determined to find a use for every single things that comes onto our farm. Did you know you can use corn silk to make tea that cures bladder infections and kidney problems?"

"Really? I never dreamed corn silks could have an actual use aside from protecting the corn cob while it grew." She said with a shake of her head, pure amazement on her face. "The animals are an absolute blessing too, Beth. At the next trade we'll bring you a couple of goats, we've got two that are currently pregnant and three that are just a few weeks old." She said as Abraham and Rick hefted the crate containing the piglets from the bed of the truck.

Nodding in understanding I turned to face her. "Patricia, Baylee, and Dakota are trying their hand at soap, deodorant, and candles too." I said with a grimace on my face. "The first batch of soap was not good but they're determined so maybe next time we'll be able to bring some. Patricia says that just because we live in the apocalypse doesn't give us an excuse to be stinky and dirty." I said with a shake of my head and a giggle.

"How is sweet Baylee and the baby?" Sarah asked softly.

"They're really good." I said pulling the polaroid of the duo from my back pocket. Since pictures were a rarity these days we limited the amount we took but Baylee had wanted one of her and Ian just in case something tragic happened. She had sent the picture with me just in case someone from Riverside asked about her. "Baby Ian is almost nine months old now and the chunkiest happiest baby." I said as I handed her the picture. "This was taken when he was about three months old." In the picture Baylee held Ian in her arms as she blew a raspberry on his tummy. His hands were fisted in her hair and his head threw back in a fit of laughter. It was an adorable picture that captured them perfectly.

Sarah gasped as she looked at the picture. "They look so happy. I just wish his daddy could be here to see them so happy. Another tragedy that Dick caused." She said sadly as she handed the picture back to me.

I nodded. "They are happy and while Baylee loved Big Ian, she is trying to move on with another young man that came to our farm with his little brother a few months back. Nathan has seen a bunch of tragedy since the beginning, just like Baylee. They are good for one another and the kids."

"And the little girls?" Sarah asked softly.

"Macey and Emily are flourishing too. Macey loves to work with the animals, she has practically become my dad's little shadow. He was a veterinarian and is passing his knowledge down to Macey who is soaking it all in. She's practically bouncing off the walls in excitement right now because we have two cows preparing to give birth in the next week or so." I said with a shake of my head because Macey was usually the one waking my Dad up in the mornings begging him to give her the okay to run out to check on the animals. "Emily loves to help out in the gardens but she really prefers to help build things and can usually be found elbow deep in whatever is being built or repaired around the farm. We have several kids of various ages on the farm so they help keep each other occupied." I said as the last of the bags and crates was swapped between the two communities.

"I'm glad they have all found such happiness, that's all we can ask for in this life we live in now." Sarah said with a sad smile. "I miss them but I'm happy for them." She said as she pulled me into a brief but tight hug.

I didn't know what to say so I simply remained silent as I squeezed the woman in a tight return hug. "If you ladies are done gossiping we really need to get on the road so we're back before dark." Tim said as he placed a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder.

Daryl wrapped an arm around my shoulders as Tim pulled Sarah away from me. "Lucky, ya 'bout ready?" He grumbled.

"Yep." I told him popping up on my tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his cheek before turning to face Sarah and Tim once again. "I'm so glad this has worked out for both of our communities. Three months?" I asked to make sur we were sticking to the same timeline as we had for this trade.

Tim looked to Sarah who nodded. "Sounds good to us. We'll be sure to bring the goats then too. And some wool sweaters that Annalyn has been working on with the sheep's wool."

I nodded at them. "Sounds like a plan. You guys have a safe trip home." I told them as I watched the rest of our crew load up into the truck we had brought on the trade run. "We'll see you in three months then."

Once we hit the road with me sandwiched between Abraham and Daryl in the front seat while Rick was sandwiched between Rosita and Michonne in the backseat I felt the urge to sing a song to keep us entertained. "How y'all feel about 'Sweet Home Alabama'?" I asked out loud as I began tapping out the beat on my knee.

Daryl simply grinned at me while the rest voiced their excitement. "Come on, songbird, let's see if you've got it in you to sing some Lynyrd Skynyrd." Abraham said from beside me as he began matching my beats with his own.

Clearing my throat I smiled over at him as I launched into a song that my momma used to blast on the car radio whenever we took road trips. I knew it 100% by heart.

 _Big wheels keep on turning  
Carry me home to see my kin  
Singing songs about the south-land  
I miss 'ole' 'bamy once again and I think it's a sin_

 _Well I heard Mister Young sing about her  
Well I heard ole Neil put her down  
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember  
A southern man don't need him around anyhow_

 _Sweet home Alabama  
Where the skies are so blue  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lord, I'm coming home to you_

 _In Birmingham they love the Gov'nor, boo-hoo-hoo  
Now we all did what we could do  
Now Watergate does not bother me  
Does your conscience bother you, tell the truth_

Everybody sang along with me but when we hit the chorus we all practically screamed the words out the windows that were rolled down, not caring about the walkers that were ambling towards our noise.

 _Sweet home Alabama  
Where the skies are so blue  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lord, I'm coming home to you, here I come_

 _Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers  
And they've been known to pick a song or two (yes they do)  
Lord they get me off so much  
They pick me up when I'm feeling blue, now how bout you?_

 _Sweet home Alabama  
Where the skies are so blue  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lord, I'm coming home to you_

 _Sweet home Alabama, oh sweet home  
Where the skies are so blue and the governor's true  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lord, I'm coming home to you_

We all finished with a flourish before laughing at our silliness. I looked around to see where we were when a large flash of black caught my attention. "Stop!" I called as I slapped the dash before crawling over Abraham's lap to stick my head out the window in an attempt to get a better look at what I saw before saying anything to the others about what it was.

"Lucky? What's wrong?" Daryl asked as he slowed the truck to a stop as quick as he could without breaking any of the jars we had in the bed of the truck.

I caught a glimpse of a beautiful black mane being tossed back and forth so I felt secure in what I was seeing. "It's a horse. A black horse." I breathed as I pointed to the small space in the break of trees where I could see glimpses of the horse. "We've gotta go get it." I said excitedly as I got out of Abraham's lap and back into my own as I turned to face Daryl. "Please? We can't just leave him out here to die. I'm surprised he's lived this long."

"Beth, what if someone is still living in that house? He could be someone's, not a stray." Abraham said as Daryl began backing up to the driveway that led to the house that was closest to the horse.

Looking over at him. "Then we'll go knock on the door first, duh!" I said with a roll of my eyes while Rosita and Michonne laughed from the backseat. "If he belongs to someone that is still alive then we'll of course leave him alone but if he's all alone then we're going to figure out a way to take him home with us. One of these days gas is going to be non-existent so how are we going to do trade days without running vehicles?" I asked everybody in the car as Daryl began easing up the overgrown driveway slowly. "Horses. That's how."

Rick reached forward to pat me on the shoulder. "Good thinking, Beth. This place looks abandoned anyways. It really is a miracle that the horse is still alive." He said as Daryl pulled to a stop next to a truck that was covered in a thick layer of grime, it obviously hadn't been moved in a really long time. "Let's be smart but quick about this." Rick said as we all climbed out of the truck with our weapons already out and ready for a fight.

Daryl and I made our way to the barn while the rest made their way to the house to check for an owner or occupant. As I rounded the back of the barn I gasped at what I saw. Not only was there a massive black horse standing there but there was also a tiny foal standing not far from her. "Oh Daryl." I gasped as I stepped up onto the metal railing of the paddock the horses were in. "She's starving." I whispered as I looked at the momma horse who was so malnourished I could count every rib from fifteen feet away. "But they're still alive." I said with a nod of my head. "We've got to find a horse trailer and take them back to the farm. We have enough feed to get them all through the winter and Daddy should still have some medicine and vitamins to help put the weight back on her." I rattled as I hopped off the fence, heading for the barn doors we had passed on our way to the paddock. "She's not dead and neither is the foal so someone has taken care of them until the past few months most likely."

As I reached for the handle on the barn door loud voices came from the house which sent Daryl and I abandoning our search for a horse trailer, racing towards the house and our friends instead. "Rick? Mich? Abe? Rosita?" I called out as Daryl kicked in the back door.

"In here!" Michonne called out. We followed their now lowered voices and found them in a back bedroom with a very skinny guy cowering in the corner with wide eyes. I would be afraid too if I didn't know these weapon wielding friends of mine personally. "Found a live one." Michonne sneered as she jabbed the blade of her katana at the scrawny man who wrapped his thin arms more tightly around his knees that he had pulled to his chest in self-preservation.

The man was brave enough to scowl at Michonne but remained silent.

Placing my hand on Michonne's shoulder I smiled at her. "Michie, he looks like he's about to pass out from holding his breath. Ease up a little bit." I whispered to her as I knelt in front of the guy trembling in the corner. "Sorry about my friends here but we're a little skeptical of any people we find these days. Are you alone here on this place?" I asked him softly but firmly as Daryl's shadow fell over me letting me know he was standing right behind me.

The young man nodded before flicking his eyes above me before gasping loudly. "Oh god. Please don't kill me." He begged.

With a glance over my shoulder I saw what had frightened him so bad that he begged for his life. Daryl, Michonne, Rick, and Rosita stood shoulder to shoulder behind me with their weapons aimed directly at the terrified young man who looked like he was trying to become as small as he could. "Everybody out. Y'all are about to give this poor man a heart attack. Daryl, you can stay but please lower the weapon so we can at least talk to the man." I said firmly as I pointed to the bedroom door. "Out! Now!" I said a little louder when they didn't move immediately.

They all huffed and puffed but left the room without any arguing. "Lucky…" Daryl growled from behind me.

I shook my head at him before sitting down on the floor with my legs crossed in front of me. "I'm Beth and this is my husband Daryl. What's your name?" I asked the man with a smile on my face. It took several minutes of the man's eyes flickering between me, Daryl, and the doorway before he finally began to relax in the corner of the bedroom. "I'm sorry they scared you but some of the things they've seen and been through have them extremely gun shy of people they don't know. Can you tell me your name?" I asked again.

"Andrew." He whispered as he sat up a little bit in the corner, the tight grip on his folded legs loosening slightly. "Who are you people?" He asked softly as he looked back towards Daryl who was leaning against the wall faking being relaxed but I could tell by the clench of his jaw that he was far from relaxed.

"Survivors." Daryl grunted from behind me causing me to roll my eyes at his gruffness.

Reaching a hand out towards Andrew I smiled kindly at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Andrew. We come from Senoia, about an hour and a half from here. What's going on with the horses out in the paddock?"

"Ran out of food a few months back. My best friend has been out for a few days now looking for food for us and them." He explained as he reached up to run a hand through his shoulder length curly hair. "We've been doing the best we can but I've been sick and in this bed for weeks." He explained quickly.

It was more of a sixth sense than actually knowing but I quickly jumped to my feet to face a suddenly angry Daryl. "You said you was here alone." Daryl growled over my shoulder at the once again trembling Andrew.

"I am. He's not here." Andrew whispered softly. "I don't know when he'll be back. If he's coming back." He rambled nervously.

I spun around, placing a palm against Daryl's firm chest. "Stop." I whispered to him as I stepped up on my tiptoes to press a kiss t his lips. "We're going to wait on this Steven to get back then we're taking them home with us. All four of them." I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Standing watching the young foal prance around the paddock while his momma ate her fill of the feed Macey had given her brought a smile to my face. "Isn't he precious?" Maggie asked as she leaned against the fence next to me, her rounded stomach prominent as my niece or nephew grew steadily inside her.

"He is. It's a good thing we found them when we did. Andrew said they kept them in the barn the majority of the time to protect them from the walkers but had taken to letting them out in the paddock to graze a little bit. We just happened to drive by at the right time." I told her as I glanced over my shoulder where Daryl stood with Rick, Abraham, Steven, and Andrew tanning and stretching the deer hide to make it more supple and soft. "They've blended in fairly well here in the past few weeks." I said with a smile as I moved my gaze to the front porch where Lori sat on the porch swing while Judith sat playing on a blanket at her feet. It was a rather warm winter day so everybody had ventured outside to soak up the sunshine.

Maggie laughed as she shook her head. "Maybe getting laid will make Lori a little less bitchy and bitter." She muttered, snapping my gaze back to hers in surprise. "What? I'm simply making an observation." Maggie said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Have they yet?" I asked curiously as I turned my gaze back to the foal and Macey who was entering the paddock with a halter and rope. The foal was antsy but was slowly getting used to Macey being in the same area as him. While she had yet to get the halter on the young stallion, she hadn't lost her determination and drive yet.

"Yep. Caught Andy coming out of her room a few mornings ago wearing the same clothes he had worn the day before." Maggie said with a smile on her face. "Then Lori came out a little later with a smile on her face."

"Wow." I said as we both turned to watch Macey guide the momma horse, Stella, back into the barn so she could work one on one with the young stallion, Romper. Macey came back out of the barn with a smile on her face and determination in her step. Maggie and I watched as Macey began twirling the rope behind the young horse to get him started running around the paddock while she walked behind him. After a few trips around the ring Macey stopped twirling the rope, turned her back on the horse, and walked over to where Maggie and I stood. We watched in amazement as Romper watched her every move before shaking his head and walking up behind her, nudging her in the shoulder. Macey fist pumped silently before reaching into her pocket to retrieve a dried peach chip to give the horse a treat for his cooperation.

Maggie and I clapped silently at Macey's broad smile as Romper nudged her for another treat. We watched as she slowly rubbed the horses nose with the treat held in her fingers before giving it to him. "Good boy, Romper." She said softly as she fed him the chip. When he nudged her shoulder a third time she unclipped the halter from her belt before turning around to face the young stallion. He watched her with twitching ears and bulging eyes but he didn't revolt as she rubbed his snout with the halter in her hand before feeding him another chip.

As he chewed on the chip Macey slowly slipped the halter up over his nose and onto his head. The smile on her face could've lit up the night sky as she tightened the straps on the halter as Romper's ears twitched in nervousness at the foreign object. Once she stroked her hands down the horse's neck he took off racing around the paddock behind her to run off all the nervous energy. "You did it!" I said excitedly as Macey stepped up onto railing before climbing to the top to sit there and watch the young horse that she has personally tamed down.

"I know now what Mr. Hershel meant by all the hard work is worth it in the end." She said with a bright smile. "It's took me two weeks to get that halter on him but I'm so excited right now that I could run around with him." She said as she turned to watch Romper run around and buck in his excitement.

Maggie looked at me with a bright smile that I returned. We had had these moments of revelation all our lives and it was nice to see it happening to the young ones on the farm. "You are doing amazing with all the animals, Macey." Maggie told her as she patted the young girl on the back before grabbing my arm to guide us towards the greenhouse. "Baby wants a salad for lunch, Bethie, with some of that honey mustard dressing you made the other day.

I rolled my eyes at her as we walked to the greenhouse to pick the spinach and greens for the salad. "Whatever baby wants, baby gets." As we walked past the guys that were pinning the stretched hide to the frame Lucy and Daryl had made. "Looks good guys." I told them as I squeezed Daryl's arm as we passed him. "I like these." I whispered into Daryl's ear before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Daryl's hand snaked around my waist until his palm spread over my butt cheek. "I like this." He whispered into my ear before giving my butt a good squeeze causing me to gasp and giggle before twisting out of his embrace with a playful shove.

"You're incorrigible." I said with a giggle as Maggie and I started for the greenhouse again.

Maggie wrapped her arm around my shoulders as we walked into the greenhouse door. "Both our moms would be so happy that we've found our better halves. Now that I'm not far off from having my own little one it just makes me wish they were here to see how well we're surviving in this new world."

"They're all watching over us, Mags. I truly believe that." I told her as I grabbed one of the baskets that Dakota and the kids had made from the mound of corn husks we had laying around. "Let's get our salad stuff." I told her as I began walking through the greenhouse plucking mushrooms, spinach, and a few of the tomatoes that were ripe on the vines.

As we walked our of the greenhouse Maggie wrapped her arm through mine and lay her head on my shoulder. "Will you sing us a song, Bethie?" She asked me softly.

Smiling I slowed our pace as I began humming a tune that we were both familiar with, my momma used to sing it to us all the time when we were little.

 _I was walkin'home from school  
On a cold winter day,  
Took a short cut through the woods  
And I lost my way.  
It was gettin' late, and I was scared and alone.  
Then a kind old man took my hand, and led me home.  
Mama couldn't see him,  
But he was standing there,  
And I knew in my heart  
He was the answer to my prayer._

I squeezed Maggie's arm and with a deep breath she joined me in on the chorus of the song that we both knew by heart.

 _Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us,  
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.  
They come to you and me in our darkest hours  
To show us how to live  
To teach us how to give  
To guide us with a light of love._

Swiping my fingers across my cheeks to get rid of the tears that fell unwilling down my cheeks I continued without missing a beat.

 _When life held troubled times  
And had me down on my knees  
There's always been someone  
To come along and comfort me  
A kind word from a stranger  
To lend a helping hand  
A phone call from a friend  
Just to say I understand  
Now ain't it kind of funny  
At the dark end of the road  
Someone light the way with just a single ray of hope._

 _Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us,  
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.  
They come to you and me in our darkest hours  
To show us how to live  
To teach us how to give  
To guide us with a light of love._

 _They wear so many faces,  
Show up in the strangest places  
And grace us with their mercies in our time of need._

 _Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us,  
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.  
They come to you and me in our darkest hours  
To show us how to live  
To teach us how to give  
To guide us with a light of love._

 _To guide us with a light of love_

"Thanks Bethie." Maggie whispered as we slowly walked up the steps of the farmhouse that was central to our survival at the farm. "I needed that, I think. You have a beautiful voice and I'm so happy that you are singing again."

Pulling open the screen door of the house I motioned for her to step inside ahead of me. "Life is good right now. We're truly safe behind those walls, our food supply is going to see us through the winter with no problems, we have no fear of freezing to death, my family is safe and happy, and I have an amazing husband who loves me. What's there not to be happy about?" I asked as we stepped inside the warm house.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Standing at the window of our little space staring outside at the rain that fell steadily from the skies I couldn't help but scowl at it all. It was that time of year that I was needed outside to get my garden beds prepared for our spring planting but instead I was stuck inside for the third day in a row while the skies unleashed its fury on us. "Lucky, it's going to be okay. We need this rain." Daryl said soothingly as he lounged on the couch in the corner of our room whittling sticks into arrows.

"It's going to be another week before I can even think about sticking the horses in the garden, Daryl. And there's so much that needs to be done before then too!" I exclaimed as I threw my hands up in the air while turning to scowl at him. "How are you not going stir crazy?" I asked him as I folded my arms over my chest.

He shrugged as he pointed the arrow in my direction. "I'm stayin' busy."

My scowl deepend as a smirk spread across his face. "What are you smirking about?" I growled as I shifted from foot to foot when his eyes darkened and he stood from the couch.

"You." He said as he laid his arrow on the table.

Taking a step back as he stalked towards me with a predatory gleam in his eyes. "What about me?" I whispered as my back pressed against the wall.

He smirked at me as he continued to slowly stalk closer to me until he was just a few scant inches from me with his hands planted on either side of my head against the log wall. "You're sexy when you're mad." Daryl growled against my lips before taking them in a bruising kiss.

Needless to say he kept me occupied for several hours while the rain continued to pour from the skies.

The next morning I woke with a smile on my face for more than one reason. I saw sunshine peeking through our windows and Daryl was peppering kisses along my bare back. "What are you doing, husband?" I whimpered as he traced his tongue up the length of my spine before pressing his chest against my back.

"Wakin' up my beautiful wife." He growled against my neck as he slid his hardness between my thighs and into my aching body while he straddled my legs. "Oh Lucky." He groaned against my ear as his arms trembled beside my body. "I love you." He said with a groan as he pulled out before slamming back inside me in one smooth hard stroke that caused us both to groan out loud.

"Daryl…" I whimpered as my body trembled with my impending orgasm that seemed determined to split my body in half. "More…" I groaned as I clawed at the bed sheets beneath my body.

With firm hands Daryl lifted my hips from the bed while sitting back on his ankles. "Hold on, Lucky." He growled as he pulled my body back onto his, hard. With his forward stroke the dam inside of me cracked just a little bit.

"Oh yeah." I called out as I lay my front half flat on the bed with my hands braced against the headboard to hold me in place. "So close…" I whimpered as he wrapped an arm around my waist, his fingers sliding through my wet curls searching for my throbbing nub. "Oh Daryl." I cried out as his flicked his fingers over my sweet spot.

I could almost feel his smile as my body tensed in preparation of the massive orgasm that was about to ravage my body. "You can take it, Lucky. Take it all." He growled as he slammed forward, pressing hard against my butt forcing me to take it all while his fingers rubbed rapidly across my nub sending me flying high.

"DARYL!" I cried out as my body trembled against the bed while my orgasm worked it's way through my entire body.

"Come on, Lucky. I want it all." Daryl growled from behind me as he began a harsh pounding into my body.

"NO! I can't." I whimpered as I felt a new kind of building inside my body. "I can't. I won't make it." I whimpered as his fingers continued to rub against my pulsing nub while his body pounded into mine.

Daryl's other hand suddenly slid around my chest, yanking me back against his chest. "Yes you will. I'm here ta catch ya." He growled in my ear as he wreaked havoc on my body.

Shaking my head back and forth against his shoulder I whimpered as he played my body like a master musician. "Daryl…" I whimpered as he pulled from my body just as my own felt like it was going to explode. Explode is exactly what my body did! My entire body shook and trembled as the rush of liquid poured from my body while Daryl's fingers flashed across my nub while his other arm held me up against his chest. When my body finished trembling he slid back inside my tightness.

"Oh Lucky." He groaned as he stroked slowly in and out of my body. "One more time. Together." He growled in my ear as he lowered us down onto the bed next to the massive wet spot. "Can ya?" Daryl asked softly as he made short quick strokes in and out of my still throbbing wetness.

I nodded against the sheets. "Yeah, just go harder." I begged as I felt the build up start once again inside my body.

When Daryl and I emerged from our room it was well after breakfast which caused the others to smirk and cat call at us. "Those walls ain't insulated you know?" Carol commented as Daryl and I walked into the house to see if there was anything left over from breakfast.

I blushed and tried to hide my face with my hair while Daryl simply shrugged his shoulders. "Ya jealous?" Daryl asked as he grabbed one of the blueberry muffins that sat in a basket on the counter before leaning back against the cabinet, crossing his feet at the ankle while he bit into his muffin.

"Nope, but just remember payback is a bitch, Pookie." She said before patting him on the shoulder and disappearing out the kitchen door.

Once we were alone in the kitchen I slapped Daryl on the shoulder. "What happened to the shy man I fell for last year?" I teased him gently before pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

Daryl shrugged as he chewed the last of his breakfast. "Ya miss 'im?"

"Nope." I said with a bright smile as I straddled his crossed legs. "I love that you are not ashamed or embarrassed about how you feel about me. I love you, Daryl Dixon." I whispered before pushing up onto my toes to press my lips to his.

His hands gripped my hips, pulling my body flush with his so he could have easier access to nibble at my lips. "Love ya too, Lucky Dixon." He growled against my lips before releasing me. "Now, we got a lotta work ta do today." He smirked as he slapped me playfully on the butt. "Stop lollygagging."

With a giggle I followed him out of the house towards the composting bins by the barn.

Since the ground was too wet anything too heavy me and the kids got the joyous job of spreading the compost over the garden beds while Daryl with Trouble trailing along beside him, T-Dogg, and Steven made the trips back and forth from the composting bins to the garden beds. "As much as I love you, you stink." I teased Daryl as he dumped his wheel barrel of compost onto the bed I was working in.

"Haha. Ya don't smell like fresh honey, Lucky." He smirked at me.

"Touché." I told him as I raked the compost over the soil that would need to be tilled and turned once it dried out some in a few days. "Where's your brother from another mother?" I asked him because I hadn't seen Michonne or Rick around all morning.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Ain't seen 'em."

"Hmm. I asked Kayden if they left through the gates while he and Jesus were on watch." I said with a shrug of my own shoulders. I purposely left him in suspense to force him to ask me what I knew because while Daryl pretended to be this grouchy hard ass to everyone on the farm but a select few I knew that he considered Rick to be his family and worried about him.

Crossing his arms over his chest he narrowed his eyes at me. "Lucky…"

Smiling up at him as I worked the soil of the bed I rolled my eyes before resting my chin on the end of the garden rake I was using. "They went out this morning. Told Kayden they would be back before dark. They took off on foot. That's all I know."

Daryl leaned over to press a gentle kiss to the top of my head. "Thanks Lucky." He whispered before grabbing his wheel barrel to head back to the compost bins. "Trouble, stay with momma." I heard him whisper to the gentle giant as she began to slowly get up off the ground to follow after him and I couldn't help but smile as I continued raking the compost that would make our vegetables flourish once we transplanted them into the garden beds.

By the time the sun began to set my arms felt like jelly and the kids were complaining about being tired but we got the kitchen garden composted. Bad thing about it was that it was the smallest of our three gardens. And it was still a pretty good size at being almost twelve hundred square feet. The main garden is almost five thousand square feet and was the second biggest we had with the wheat, corn, and alfalfa/oat acreage outside the gates being the largest. Just as I was hanging the last rake in the garden shed I heard the telltale tinkle of the dinner bell causing me to groan because all I wanted to do was go collapse somewhere until tomorrow. "You gonna make it, Lucky?" Daryl asked as he leaned in the doorway with his feet crossed at the ankle.

I shook my head at him as I hung my head. "I think my arms are about to fall off." I grumbled.

Daryl chuckled and next thing I know I'm being tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried towards the house while I giggled uncontrollably at his antics. "Daryl! Put me down." I demanded as I slapped him on the ass playfully.

He returned the favor by making my own butt sting from his palm connecting with the flesh. "What kinda man would I be if let my tired wife walk to the house for dinner?" He asked as he finally set me on my feet on the front porch of the house.

Pushing my hair out of my eyes I glared at him while he stood two steps down from me smirking up at me. "You would be the normal kind that didn't carry humans around like they're sacks of vegetables."

"Don't like bein' normal, Lucky." He whispered up at me with a wink. "Ya want normal?"

I shook my head before holding my hand out for him to take. "Nope, I love you just the way you are. Caveman parts and all. Come on I'm starving."


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

"I'll agree to labor and give birth in this house but then we are going back to our home in the wall." Maggie argued with Dakota, Carol, Patricia, and Daddy at the kitchen table. According to her last pelvic exam that Dakota gave her a few days ago, Maggie was just two weeks at most from giving birth because the baby has 'dropped'.

Whatever that meant.

I watched from my spot in the kitchen where I was making a snack for me, Daryl, and Trouble while we went hunting today. "It's not safe for a newborn in the wall, Mags. They cry constantly and will draw walkers to us." Carol argued.

"Plus, here in the house we have basic electricity, running water, and insulated walls." Our dad argued.

"Not to mention that I am here in the house if something happens." Dakota said softly.

The look on Maggie's face was highly amusing and I had to hide my snickers in my shoulder while I finished packing us some snacks and bottles of water into my backpack. "All the excuses in the world is not going to make me give up my home in the wall. It has proven it's strength against walkers so that argument is a moot point. Dad, did you have a doctor or nurse live in the house with you when we were all born?" Maggie argued as she shifted in her chair with a groan.

"No." Our dad muttered. "But times are different now, Mags." He continued to argue.

"Yeah, times have definitely changed. We're basically living in the 1800's with a modern twist to it and people that used to be our friends try to eat us cause our hearts beat and theirs don't." Maggie snarked before pushing up from her chair. "Keep pushing me and I'll do everything in my wall home instead of my childhood home." She snapped before turning and waddling out of the room.

I bit my lip as I grabbed my backpack, sneaking out the back door and towards Daryl who stood by the gates with Trouble chatting with Rick and Michonne. Jogging over to them I knelt down to feed Trouble a piece of the jerky I had in my pocket for her. "Who's a good girl, huh?" I asked her as I rubbed between her ears while she chewed the piece of jerky. When she was finished chewing she licked me on the side of my face while her tail wagged eagerly which caused Daryl and Rick to chuckle. "Shush it you two."

Rick held his hands up as he backed away from a chuckling Daryl. "Ya don't scare me, Lucky." Daryl growled as he wrapped an arm around my waist tugging me against his chest. "Ya ain't nothin' but a big ole softy." He whispered against my lips before taking them in a quick kiss.

"Get a room, you two!" Sasha called from the top of the gates.

I pushed away from Daryl with a giggle as I glanced up at a smiling Sasha. "Thought you were tired of eating like a vegetarian?" I teased her as Daryl chuckled next to me. "Still want us to go get a room?" Her answer was to begin spinning the wheel that opened the gates wide enough for us to get through. "Thanks Sasha!" I called as we stepped through the second gate and out of the safety of the high walls.

"Good luck, you two!" Bob called down to us as he stood next to Sasha on the watch platform.

We waved at them before taking off into the woods. The first thing we did was make a trek around the entirety of our wall checking the traps we had set to capture the smaller animals when we were busy with other things on the farm. They were checked every morning by someone but today we took that responsibility. Once we had cleared all the traps around the wall we dropped the animals back at the wall with Sasha and Bob before venturing across the road into the deep woods.

Our hunt was uneventful aside from a few squirrels, so we decided to head to the small pond near the house to try our hand at fishing before heading back to the farm. "Can we take a swim?" I asked Daryl as we sat on the old rickety dock with our crude fishing poles Daryl had fashioned on our walk to the pond. Trouble was laying in the shade of the trees about ten foot from the edge of the pond, resting.

"It's dangerous, Lucky. We don't know what's down there. Walkers don't swim. They sink." Daryl argued as he worked the worms we had dug up onto our hooks.

I groaned as I pushed my hair off my sweaty forehead. "I would give just about anything to be able to go swimming again. It's been so long since I swam in anything other than the bathtub or the creek." I grumbled as I tossed my hook and line into the water. Our poles were simply long sticks with some fishing line tied to the end with a hook at the end of that line. Nothing fancy but it got the job done and it saved us from lugging fishing poles around.

He hummed in acknowledgement before settling into a silence as we waited for the fish to come to our worms. As the sun moved further along in the sky the fish piled up on the rope Daryl had tied to the edge of the pier to keep the fish from dying. "I'm gonna take a walk 'round. Keep yer ears open, Lucky." Daryl said as he stood up, stretching his arms high above his head, his back cracking at the movement causing me to cringe at the sound.

"Okay. Be careful." I called to him as I blew him an air kiss which brought a smirk to his face.

I continued to fish as Daryl made his way slowly around the pond that used to be a favorite hangout for the local teens because of its secluded location. While he made his way around the pond I added three more fish to our line, effectively using up all of our worms that we had dug up. "Wanna take a dip?" Daryl asked from behind me, scaring me slightly as I was engrossed in spooling our line around the bone we used to keep it from getting tangled up.

I quickly stood up at his words though, my task completely forgotten. "Really? What about walkers in the water?" I questioned as I swiped my sweaty palms along my capris.

"Didn't see any tracks goin' into the water." He said with a grin on his face as he reached forward for the hem of my shirt. "Ya wanna?"

Nodding I raised my hands above my head in answer. We quickly stripped down to our underwear standing right there on the dock, in broad daylight. "Can we run and jump off the dock?" I asked bouncing from one bare foot to the other in my excitement.

Daryl grasped my face in his hands, pulling my lips to his for a quick kiss. "I got a better idea." He said with a smirk before ducking down to sling me over his shoulder. I let out a yelp as I slapped him on his boxer brief covered ass.

"Do not throw me in that water, Daryl Dixon." I said sternly as I continued to slap his ass and back while wiggling on his shoulder.

He laughed as he backed up a few steps all while maintaining my position on his shoulder. "What you gonna do 'bout it, Lucky?" He asked on a chuckle before taking off running down the dock.

My scream was cut off by my head going under water with Daryl's weight pulling me down. We both pushed back to the surface, smiles on our faces and our laughter echoing off the trees, alerting anything alive or dead to our presence. "You didn't give me a chance to answer!" I told Daryl as I pushed my wet hair out of my face while he simply shook his similar to Trouble does.

"What was ya gonna say? No sex? We both know that's a lie, Lucky." He said as he reached for me, pulling me flush against his nearly naked body.

Looping my arms and legs around his body I let him worry about keeping us afloat. "Are you saying you're irresistible, Mr. Dixon?" I teased, sliding my fingers through his wet hair I gripped his head in my palms.

His hands slid down my sides until they gripped my hips, shifting me against his hardness. "Ya wanna resist?" He growled just before taking my lips in a brutal kiss.

We were caught up in roaming hands, deep passionate kisses, and low moans and growls until Trouble's barking broke through the haze. Ripping his lips from mine Daryl's head spun to glance at the perimeter of the pond. "We've got company somewhere." He growled to me as he shifted my panties back into place before separating our heated bodies.

"Dead or alive?" I whispered as I began easing back to the dock where our clothes and weapons were at.

He shrugged as he gripped my waist to help me up onto the rickety dock. "Don't know." Once we were both on the dock Daryl tossed me his t-shirt. "Ya jeans too tight to get on while wet." He growled as he began struggling with his own jeans.

I slipped his t-shirt over my head before bending down to gather our weapons as Trouble joined us on the dock with a deep growl emanating from her chest. "Calm down, girl. We're gonna be okay." I whispered to her as I quickly stomped my feet into my boots before gathering our remaining clothes up, stuffing them into the pack we had brought with us.

"Come on, Lucky. We gotta go." Daryl said as he picked up his crossbow, grabbed my hand, and took off for the trees. We were only a few miles from the farm so when Daryl began leading us in the opposite direction my curiosity got the better of me but I waited until we stopped to actually speak so I could maintain my breathing like he had taught me.

After maintaining a steady weaving running pace for what felt like forever Daryl slowed us to a fast walking pace. "Why are we not going back to the farm, Daryl? We'll be safe there."

He glanced over at me before scanning the forest around us. "Don't wanna lead anyone back there. Gotta find a spot to hole up in for tha night. Go home tomorrow." He said as he came to a stop and reached for me. "Can't risk it, Lucky."

"Okay." I agreed with a nod of my head as I took a good look at our surroundings, trying to figure out where we were since I had grown up playing and riding horses in these woods. "If I'm right, there should be an old hunting cabin just on the other side of that little hill." I said pointing to the small rise about twenty feet to our right.

"Stocked?" Daryl asked as he grabbed my hand as we slowly and quietly made our way up the small incline.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Possibly. It was more of a community hunting cabin or getaway spot with basic respect at play. If you took something you left something in return." I said quietly as we reached the top of the hill. The small shack of a hunting cabin used to be in not the best shape and neglect since the turn had only made it worse but the roof, door, and windows looked to be intact. Albeit covered in vines and nearly hidden due to the sheer amount of trees popping up all around it. "There it is." I told Daryl as I took the lead down the hill to the cabin that was clearly abandoned.

Stepping up onto the rickety rotten porch I surveyed the front of the cabin. The roof of the porch was sagging dramatically, almost to the point that I was scared to stand under it, but the front door of the cabin was still shut and the window wasn't busted. I rapped the handle of my knife on the door to wake anything that may possibly be on the other side of the vine covered door. "Sounds clear." Daryl grunted as he reached through the vines, searching for the door handle. "Wanna try to leave it lookin' like ain't nobody here." He explained as he continued searching through the vines instead of simply cutting them away.

"Oh ok." I muttered as I looked around to make sure we were truly alone in the woods. After a few minutes Daryl grunted and shoved against the door until it swung inward with a loud creak.

"Gonna have ta climb over." He muttered, motioning to the vines stretching across the doorway.

With a little help from him I climbed over the vines, stepping foot into the cabin I had been to only a handful of times with my Daddy. It looked exactly the same as it had when I last came here when I was just 12 years old. "It looks like it's been abandoned since before the turn." I muttered as I ran my finger through the thick layer of dust on the rickety dining room table. I walked to one of the three windows in the open room and tugged it open to air the musty closed up smell out.

Daryl hefted Trouble over the vines before simply stepping over them to join me in the one room cabin. "It'll do for the night." He grunted as he closed the door behind him, sealing us in the dim room.

Once I had the windows all cracked I pulled the blanket off the bed, causing a billow of dust to fly into the air. "Oh no." I whined when I felt the sneeze building in my sinus cavity. Squeezing my nose I tried to make the sneeze as quiet as possible but the noise still echoed in the quietness of the cabin. When I wiped my hand on his shirt and blinked the tears from my eyes I found him leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. "What?" I snapped as I tossed the dusty blanket into the corner of the room. It would make a good bed for Trouble for the night.

"Nothin'. Ya sneezin' is just…" He trailed off with a shrug of his shoulders.

Planting my hands on my hips I glared at him across the room. "Just what?" I growled at him from my spot at the foot of the bed where a large trunk was located that I knew for a fact held extra blankets and basic clothing.

Watching Daryl's eyes go wide at my growl I couldn't help but smile a little bit. "Sexy?" He asked on a whisper.

The laughter that burst out of me couldn't be helped because this big burly man was practically terrified of my reaction to his description of my sneeze. "Mhmm." I muttered as I turned to face the trunk, bending down to lift the lid.

"Now that's sexy." Daryl growled from behind me just before I felt his palms on my bare thighs. "Really sexy." He growled as he pulled me flush against his jean clad hips so that I could feel his reaction to me bending over in nothing but his t-shirt and my panties.

Later that evening Daryl busied himself getting the camp stove going while I rummaged through the cabinets to find something for dinner. "Voila!" I cheered as I spun around with a box and a jar in my hands. "If I'm not mistaken this is Mrs. Hatcher's famous deer stew." I explained as I shook the jar at Daryl.

"Canned deer stew?" He asked skeptically.

I nodded as I grabbed two pots from beneath the sink to cook our dinner in. "Oh yeah. And it's really good too. She's won several awards and ribbons for this deer stew. Don't forget about the mac and cheese too." I told him as I added water to each pot before handing them to him.

"Okay."

"Trust me. When I tell Maggie we got to eat Mrs. Hatcher's famous deer stew she's gonna be so jealous." I told him as I stepped up next to him to stir the contents of the pots.

Daryl wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I trust you with my life, Lucky."

"I know." I whispered as I wrapped my arm around his bare waist. "I love you, Mr. Dixon."

"I love you too, Mrs. Dixon."

~*~LUCKY~*~

While normally the trek back to the farm wasn't but a 20 minute walk, Daryl and I decided to circle around just in case people were casing the cabin we were holed up in. Almost an hour after we left the cabin Trouble came to a complete stop with her ears perched high on her head and a deep growl coming from deep in her chest. Daryl held up a hand to me while aiming his crossbow at chest height before making a slow circle around me. He had almost made a complete circle when two young girls stepped out from behind some trees. "Stop right there." Daryl called to them as he aimed his arrow directly at them. "Why're you followin' us?" He growled at them as I pressed my back to his with my knife raised, ready for some action while I scanned the forest around us.

"We saw you yesterday, fishing, and swimming." One of the girls called out. "I'm Enid." The tall skinny brown headed girl said, pointing to herself. "And this is Willow. She's deaf. We're just looking for a safe place to call home. Our last home was destroyed by a fire and we barely escaped with our lives. We've been travelling for a while looking for people, barely scraping by." The girl, Enid, explained rapidly.

I spun to face them, essentially leaving our back unguarded, but I needed to be face to face with them while this interrogation happened. "How many of you, are there?" I asked softly because I had a feeling there was more than just the two of them.

"Six. The rest are holed up back at camp while we came out looking for something to eat and to search for good people in the area. We've been gone for six days now." Enid explained earnestly.

"Where'd ya call home?" Daryl asked.

"Arkansas. A bunch of us closed off a small town and survived there until lightening struck one of the old buildings, catching it on fire in the middle of the night." Enid explained with a sad shake of her head. "We originally left with almost 25 of us but on our journey we've lost some to the dead and others have decided to go in other directions in search of their families. All that's left are six of us with no family left, simply trying to survive. You look like you have a place to call home."

Raising an eyebrow at her I shrugged my shoulders. "Where are the other four you claim that are travelling with you?"

"In a church called Red Oak Grove Baptist. Cady fell in a hole and hurt her leg pretty badly. She struggled on it for a few days before finally giving in to our pleadings to stop and let it heal." Enid explained with a shake of her head. "She's pretty hard headed and hated slowing us down any."

"It's not infected is it?" I asked anxiously.

Enid shook her head but before she could respond to my question verbally Willow tapped on her shoulder just before her hands started flying through the air. Sign language. Something I knew very little about but could easily recognize. "What the hell is she doin'?" Daryl asked me while Trouble finally set down on her haunches between mine and Daryl's legs.

"She's talking. Remember Enid said she's deaf. That's sign language." I explained softly while the two girls communicated silently. I could already see the potential for growth in our community. If we all knew sign language then in sticky situations we could still communicate in a way that most people didn't understand. "We're taking them with us." I told Daryl with a bright smile on my face.

"Lucky." Daryl growled at me while Trouble simply bumped into my leg with her head.

I shook my head at him because I wasn't changing my mind. Letting out a shrill whistle I got Enid's attention which also got Willow's attention. "What's she saying?" I asked Enid.

"She hates being left out of conversations but you are too far away for her to read your lips so I was just catching her up. And no Cady's leg isn't infected. We think she sprained her ankle and twisted her knee." Enid explained while still signing to Willow. "Y'all make a decision? We didn't mean to sneak around and follow you guys but we are all leery of men because we've encountered some nasty ones along the way because all six of us are young women. We wanted to make sure before approaching you."

I nodded in understanding because Dick had taken advantage of the fact that I was a young woman myself when he attacked our group. "That's a smart move. I'm Beth, by the way, and this is my husband Daryl. Why are there no men with you?"

"Most of our men were attacked and killed during a scavenger run a long time ago. The rest have been killed here and there over the months. We left home with three young men but one, Justin, left with his wife heading for Oregon where her family used to live. Cayden got bit several weeks back. And Leonard headed for Oklahoma where his husband was last heard to be. That leaves just us six young women who have made it this far on their own." Enid explained to us while her hands continued to move to include Willow in our conversations now.

Daryl looked down at me with a frown on his face. "Let's get back so we can go get the rest of them before nightfall. You know where this church is?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's out in the middle of nowhere about 30 minutes from here. It sits across the road from a pretty good-sized pond. It's a perfect location to hole up because it has water and food right there."

"Let's go." Daryl snapped before taking off through the woods with his crossbow still held tightly in his hands.

The two girls fell into step next to me and were quiet the entire way back to the farm, which was only 20 minutes. "This is where you live?" Enid breathed as she seen the massive outer wall that surrounded and protected our home and loved ones.

"It is. I grew up here actually. Though these walls weren't here then, they're an recent addition." I said with a chuckle as Daryl led the way to the gates where Michonne and Rick were smiling down at us. "Hey guys!" I called up to them with a wave and smile of my own.

Michonne shook her head while Rick began working the pulley system that would slide the door open so we could walk inside. "Leave it to you two to be gone for a day and come back with more people instead of the food you were supposed to get." She said as she leaned over the wall. "Beth, your sister is fairly frantic by the way." Michonne whispered to me just before I walked through the gate where Rick was standing with spread arms.

"Hi Rick." I said as I stepped into his arms to give him a hug. "We need to round up a couple trucks, Bob, and a few others." I said as I squeezed his waist tightly. "We've got more people to go pick up but one's hurt."

Rick pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head before releasing me. "I'll get on that while you go speak to your sister. Please. Glenn and Hershel are about ready to strangle her."

I chuckled before nodding. "I'll get right on that." I told him before turning to the two girls that Michonne was talking to. "We're going to go get your friends so be ready to leave in a little bit." I told her knowing that Michonne was about to show them to the rooms they could stay in for about a week before being allowed inside the inside gate.

"Okay. Thanks Beth." Enid said while Willow signed the words. Since I didn't know any sign language except the alphabet I simply smiled at her and nodded before disappearing through the inside gate.

As soon as I stepped through the gate Maggie's shrill scream ripped through the air. I shook my head before heading for the front porch where she was standing between Patricia and Glenn. "Hi Mags, been giving them hell, have you?"

"Bethie." Maggie sobbed as she reached for me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Where have you been?! I've been so worried." She rattled anxiously as she squeezed me as close as my niece or nephew would allow.

Pulling away from her I shook my head at her. "I've been gone a day, Mags. Trouble alerted us to potential danger so we ran and holed up in the old getaway cabin for the night. Then this morning we found who Trouble was alerting us about. Some young ladies looking for a safe place to call home. There are four more of them about half an hour from here that we've got to go get." I explained rapidly as I saw Rick and Daryl talking to Sasha, Rosita, Abraham, and Bob. "So I'm going to need you to suck it up for a little longer while I go help get these other girls. Then I have a surprise for you when we get back. But only if you cut Glen, Dad, and Patricia some slack."

Maggie turned to glare at Glenn with a raised eyebrow. "You tattled on me? I'm days away from having your child and you tattled on me?!" She seethed angrily at her husband.

Tugging on Maggie's arm I turned her attention back to me. "Maggie. Stop this nonsense right now. I get that you are uncomfortable and worried but there is no need to act like a raging bitch to everybody. Michonne and Rick clued me in before I was even inside the outside gate. That's how bad you've been, Mags. Now take a chill pill and I'll be back in a few hours with four more young women to go with the two we found earlier."

Maggie pouted but nodded while Glenn smiled gratefully at me. "I'm sorry, I just worry about you when you're out there."

"No need for that. Daryl and Trouble aren't going to let anything happen to me and you know that." I told her as I hugged her one last time before walking back down the doorsteps. "I love you, Mags."

"Love you too, Bethie."

We took two vehicles to the church to pick up the other four girls. To make more space in the vehicles we left Willow in the very capable hands of Carol, Lori, and Michonne. The three of them actually knew a bit of sign language so they could 'talk' with Willow about how the transition period worked at our farm. Daryl, myself, Rosita, and Enid rode in the first truck while Abraham, Sasha, and Bob drove the SUV behind us. "Do you girls have anything in the way of supplies?" I asked Enid as I guided Daryl towards the church using backroads to avoid the main highways.

Enid shook her head. "We've managed to get three sets of clothes each along the way, a pillow, and our sleeping bags. We usually eat whatever food we find because there's not much left to find anymore that's any good. Jada has a tomato plant that she is growing in an old vegetable can right now. She's pretty proud of it too."

We all chuckled. "She'll be blown away by the size of our gardens if she's amazed at one tomato plant. I planted thirty tomato plants alone this year." I said with a shake of my head.

"Thirty?" Enid whispered as she stuck her head forward between Daryl and I.

I nodded. "Oh yeah. We have a bunch of people to feed. Next year I plan to plant at least 40 tomato plants because our population is steadily growing."

"Wow." She breathed as she slumped back into her seat.

Again, we all chuckled. "Just wait, Enid, you'll see." Rosita told her with a chuckle.

It took us almost an hour to get to the church that could barely be seen from the road now that the lawn had been let go for so long. Trees had sprouted up and all around the church and his it fairly well from the road, you could only see flashes of the once bright red brick.

"Let me go in first. I don't want anyone to accidentally get hurt." Enid said as we slowed to a stop along the edge of the highway to keep the place hidden.

"You girls have weapons?" Daryl growled as he slammed the truck into park, killing the engine.

Enid quickly shook her head. "No! But we have traps set up and I know how to disable them without getting hurt."

"Oh okay." I breathed as I placed an arm on Daryl's arm to calm him down. "We'll give you five minutes. Here." I said handing her a digital watch.

She smiled as she placed the watch onto her wrist. "I haven't paid attention to the time in so long it's strange to know it still exists."

We all chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, times not all that important now. We plan our days around the sun rising and setting these days."

Enid shrugged her shoulders as she set the timer on the watch for 5 minutes before climbing from the truck. "Be right back."

We all climbed from the vehicles to scope out the area instead of just being sitting ducks. "What do you think of this?" Bob asked as we all stood at the side of the vehicles with our eyes trained on the church.

"I'm thinking we don't have enough teenage boys at the farm to keep six more teenage girls satisfied." Abraham said, only for Rosita to slap his chest and me to glare at him.

"Some teenage girls don't like the immaturity of teenage boys." I snapped playfully.

Abe just threw his head back in laughter. "True, tiny bit, true."

As my watch beeped, letting us know the five minutes was up the front door of the church opened up. The girls walked single file through a small winding path in the trees and underbrush until four of them stepped onto the highway in front of us. "I thought you said there were six of y'all?" Abe asked as he crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Last time I was in school four plus one equals five. Not six."

"Cady can't walk. She's sitting on the steps of the church." Enid explained. "Her foot is really bad."

"I brought some crutches but it may be best if one of us just carries her to the SUV." Bob said, speaking up from where he stood next to Sasha with his backpack full of medical supplies.

Enid motioned for us to follow after her. Daryl, Abraham, and Bob followed her while Rosita, Sasha, and I introduced ourselves to the other girls. "Hi girls. I'm Beth." I said introducing myself to the terrified looking girls that couldn't be over 16 or 17 years old.

One of the girls with long hair that was braided down over her shoulder stepped forward. "I'm Layla." She said sticking her hand out for me to shake.

I shook her hand as I smiled kindly at her. "How old are you Layla?" I asked softly as I let her hand go.

"18 if it's past July." She said softly as she stepped back next to her friends.

"It is! So happy belated birthday." I said causing us all to chuckle. "We have a calendar at the farm."

"Thanks." She said with a smile.

The next to step forward was a dark skinned young woman with hair in dreads that reached her shoulders. "I'm Alexa and I'm 16 as of this past winter. Thanks for taking us in. I'm not sure how much longer we could have survived out here on our own."

"Nice to meet you Alexa. There will be a transition period before you are welcomed completely to the inner sanctum of our farm but either way you are more than welcome to join our family." I explained as she stepped back next to Layla.

A short redheaded girl with pale skin and bright green eyes waved but didn't move forward. "I'm Rachel and I'll be 15 this next winter." She whispered shyly.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet all of you girls. The fact that you all have survived the long trip from Arkansas to here is a miracle in and of itself so I don't see a problem with you fitting right in with our friends and family at the farm. We come from all over and from a variety of circumstances." I explained as I motioned to Rosita and Sasha. "This is Rosita and Sasha. We didn't start out together but I consider them to be my sisters now."

Rosita rolled her eyes while Sasha smiled at me. Sasha spoke up first. "I am one of the lucky ones, along with Beth here, to still have some family with me. My brother and I holed up in a neighbors storm cellar until our food and water supply ran out. We ended up running into Rosita and a bunch of others as we were searching for our next shelter. Tyrese, my brother, and I came to the farm with Rosita, Daryl, and a bunch of others. We've all made it the safe haven that it is today. I'm Sasha by the way." She said stepping forward to shake the hands of each of the girls standing before us.

All of the girls echoed a variety of greetings to Sasha as they shook her hand. Then it was Rosita who was spouting her story. "It's been a long journey to get to where I am today. I come from Texas originally. The group I started out with all died. Abraham and another guy found me and saved me before starting a journey to Washington D.C. that turned into a nightmare from hell. We found a safe place up north but it eventually got destroyed by a psychopath that thought anybody surviving in this world owed him something. The ones that survived his version of hell made their way back south and ended up at the farm." She finished with a shake of her head. "You girls are not alone with not having any blood family out there but let me tell you, even though me and the people at the farm aren't related by blood I would lay my life on the line for them as if they were. They are my family now."

Just then laughter came from the direction of the church yanking all of our attention that way. "I haven't heard Cady laugh in so long." Alexa whispered as Abraham burst through the trees with a giggling girl in his arms.

"That's Abe for you. He can piss you off just as quick as he can get you laughing and smiling. It's like having a toddler trapped into a grown man's body most days." I explained as Daryl, Bob, and Enid came into sight with all of the girls bags in their arms.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"He's absolutely beautiful, Mags." I whispered to my sister as I held my brand-new nephew for the first time. Using the kitchen scales the plump little boy shocked us all when he nearly bumped the nine-pound mark on the scale. "Have you two settled on a name yet?" I asked softly knowing they had been arguing and debating for months over possible names if the baby turned out to be a boy.

Maggie smiled at me from her spot in the bed where she was resting after going through labor and delivery all night. "Hershel Shawn Rhee."

Tears sprang to my eyes despite my furious blinking. "That's beautiful, Maggie. Does dad know yet?" I asked softly as I stroked a finger down the plump cheek of the sleeping baby. This was a nice change of pace from the past week since we had rescued and brought in Enid and her friends. We had all been running around like crazy trying to prepare the last space in the wall for the six of them since they wanted to stay together for the time being.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't told him yet but Glenn is wanting to be here when he finds out."

"Dad's going to be ecstatic over having his grandson named after him and Shawn." I tell her as baby Shawn scrunches his face up in annoyance. "It's okay, baby." I whisper as I place the little boy against my chest, patting his back like I used to do for the church babies I would babysit on school breaks.

I settled onto the bed next to Maggie as I soothed baby Shawn into a quiet content sleep. "How bad was it, Mags?"

Maggie scrunched up her face. "Like forcing a watermelon out of a cucumber. But seeing his precious face makes it all worth it, Bethie, I swear. I never understood what Mom, Momma, or Annette meant when they said that but now I do and it's true." She said as she gazed over at her baby boy who was sleeping against my chest. "It's automatic unconditional love."

"I'm sure I'll find out one day but I'm not in any hurry." I said softly as I pressed a kiss to the soft hair on the top of my nephews head. "For now Daryl and I will play the doting aunt and uncle who will occasionally babysit to give you and Glenn time to make him a baby brother or sister." I teased as I eased the baby back onto my raised and bent knees.

Maggie quickly shook her head. "No more babies for a while."

"Oh?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought it was all worth it once you laid eyes on the baby? And automatic unconditional love? Why wouldn't you want to repeat that over and over again." I teased her playfully as I slid my fingers into my nephews tiny little hands. Since it was still the middle of summer time in Georgia he was wearing nothing but a tiny little onesie that said 'World's Most Handsome Baby' on the front of it, a diaper, and socks. The humid air was being stirred around by the ceiling fan above the bed. It was rare that we ran the fans but it was allowed because of the strenuous activity Maggie had to endure throughout the night. Momma and Daddy had never been big fans of air conditioners so it wasn't that much of a change when electricity became a thing of the past. Each room in the house had a ceiling fan to circulate the hot air and high windows that opened at the top to allow the heat to escape the rooms.

Shifting carefully on the bed Maggie shook her head. "I think we're good on having babies for a good little while." She said with a cringe as she slid her legs off the side of the bed. "We're just gonna love on that little love bug for a long time. Watch him for me while I ease to the bathroom?" She asked as she held onto the bed posts as she eased around the bed slowly.

"Absolutely." I whispered to her as I played with baby Shawn's hands. "Auntie Beth would love to watch him for a little while."

"Thanks." Maggie said with a grimace as she eased out the doorway and down the hall. Once she disappeared from sight I turned my attention to the little boy resting against my legs until I heard my sister say "Oh, hey Daryl. Beth's in with the baby."

"Oh look, baby, your Uncle Daryl is coming to pay you a visit." I whispered to him as I moved his little arms around in an attempt to wake him up. "He tries to play all rough and tough but he's just a big ole softy on the inside. Trust me." I whispered the last part just as I spotted Daryl lean against the door frame with a smile on his face. "Yep, just trust me, little one."

Daryl smirked at me from across the room. "What's he trustin' ya 'bout, Lucky? He ain't but a few hours old."

I shook my head at him. "That's our little secret. Want to hold your nephew?" I asked with a bright smile on my face. "He's got to be the sweetest baby this side of the Mississippi." I teased.

Pushing off the door frame he made his way towards the bed. "I'm no good at dealin' with babies." He grumbled.

"Bull manure. I've seen you with Judith and Ian." I told him as I motioned for him to take a seat at the foot of the bed.

He grumbled unintelligible words under his breath as he sat down near my feet.

Lifting the baby off my legs I folded them under me as I leaned forward to place the baby in Daryl's waiting arms. "You look good holding a baby, Mr. Dixon." I teased as he held the baby gently in his arms.

"You do too, Lucky. Maybe one day we'll be holdin' our own." He said quietly, surprising me with his words.

Raising my eyebrow at him I leaned forward to rest my chin on his shoulder. "Ya want that with me, Daryl? Kids of our own?"

He nodded as he turned to press a kiss to the top of my head. "Can't go wrong with you for a Ma."

"You'll be an amazing father too, Daryl. Stop selling yourself short. You didn't think you would make a very good boyfriend or husband either, but you've done amazing at both of them." I whispered softly into the room. "I love you."

"Love ya too, Lucky. Ya make things easy for me, ya know? Loving ya is so damn easy." He whispered just as Maggie walked back into the room with a frown on her face. "Ya okay, Mags?" Daryl asked as he handed me back the baby so he could go help my sister back to the bed.

She shook her head as she leaned heavily on him as they eased their way around the bed. "No. That sucked like horse nuts." She grumbled as she lowered herself onto the bed just as the baby started fussing. "And now he's hungry."

I smiled as I handed her my nephew. "You love it and just remember what you told me not too long ago. He's worth it all. I love you, sissy. You did an amazing job cooking and delivering that beautiful baby boy."

"Love you too, sister." She said with a smile on her face as she began lifting her shirt. "Unless you guys want to see my boobs I suggest you both skedaddle now."

Grabbing my hand Daryl quickly pulled me out of the bedroom while I pulled the door shut behind us.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"Beth Dixon, don't you dare run off. You're not getting out of this." Patricia warned me as I stood from the dining room table to take my plate to the kitchen sink.

I smiled at her and shook my head. "I would do no such thing."

The entire table burst out laughing at my innocent sounding voice. It was no secret that I loathed pasta day. And that day was today. Our pasta supply was running low so it was time to replenish our stock plus make enough for the trade with Riverside next week. "Yeah right." Maggie said with a shake of her head as she sat at the table with six week old baby Shawn in one arm while she ate with the other hand. "We all know how much you loathe pasta day."

"I don't necessarily loathe pasta day as much as we have a mutual dislike of one another." I said with a shrug of my shoulders as I rinsed my plate off before setting it down in the sink for washing later.

Maggie raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't those basically the same thing?"

Smiling at her on my way out the back door I shook my head. "Nope." I chirped before sliding out the door with Trouble on my heels. I made the now familiar trek through the gardens, clipping dead leaves and buds as I went. "You babies are looking beautiful." I spoke softly to the watermelons that were just waiting to be picked by the kids, but they weren't quite ready yet. Bending down I gently lifted the beauties up one by one to shuffle the straw beneath them to keep them from rotting on the bottom side. "It's almost time." I whispered as I gently sat the last one back down, turning it slightly on the shuffled straw bed.

"Talking to the vegetables again?" Layla asked as she knelt down beside me with a basket for any fruit or vegetables we happened to find ready for the picking.

I shrugged my shoulders as I ran my fingers along the watermelon vines to check for damaged leaves or possible bugs. "Maybe. It's no worse than talking to animals." I joked.

She nodded. "True."

We worked diligently through the garden until we had our basket full and the garden was free of weeds and dead bits. "Think they're wondering where we are yet?" I asked her as I scooped up the leaves to go put in the composting bin we kept near the garden shed.

"Maybe. How often do y'all make pasta?" Layla asked as she opened the lid to the composting bin for me.

I shrugged. "It varies really but we have a trade day coming up with Riverside and we plan to take them some dried pasta this time."

"How often do trade days happen?" She asked as she continued to hold the lid while I shuffled the composting material around.

"Every three months. They are supposed to bring us some goats this time because we took them some piglets last time. Because they live on the coast we get our seafood from them as well as our rice, carrots, and coconuts." I explained as we made our way to the house to get started on the hell that was pasta day.

Layla nodded. "That's amazing. Do you think there are more communities out there like this one and Riverside?" She asked as we made it to the steps of the house where Trouble was snoozing in the shade.

Shrugging my shoulder I bent down to rub my girl between her ears. "I don't know but it's dangerous meeting knew people. Some of us know that better than others. I've been fortunate to only have a minor run in with a deranged man most of the others here haven't been as lucky."

"Is that why Daryl calls you Lucky?"

Shaking my head I had to laugh. "Have a seat and I'll tell you how I got that nickname." I told her as I motioned to the chairs that sat on the back side of the porch.

Layla looked towards the back door before taking a seat with a guilty look on her face. "What about…" She trailed off but nodded towards the back door where we could see Patricia, Lori, Baylee, and Dakota in the kitchen.

"They'll be okay for a little bit. This won't take long." I told her as I sat in the chair next to hers. "First of all, I just want to say that I have been very fortunate for the most part since the world turned against us. This is the home I was born and raised in and while I have lost some important people I still have my father, sister, and Patricia around me every day. When Rick, Daryl, and their band of misfits came to the farm I was dating the guy I had been dating before the turn. He turned out to be a royal prick who thought the world owed him something. I didn't want him to die but he got cocky on a run and ended up that way anyways. Daryl and I danced around each other for months while he trained me and yes I did get lucky more than a few times and he was usually there to call me out on it too. His nickname for me was actually Trouble before we got our own Trouble." I said smiling wistfully down at the wolf that was my baby and Daryl's too. "I bargained with him when we found Trouble on the side of the road that if I agreed to let him name her Trouble he would have to find a new nickname for me. He agreed."

Layla smiled at me as she shook her head. "I think he would do anything to make you happy. And you him."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It was a few days after we had gotten Trouble that I found him sitting on the second story balcony with the tiny pup giving her a nighttime bottle. It was then that I told him my dad wanted to have _the_ talk with him soon to make sure he wasn't taking advantage of my young age. He got defensive saying that he had plenty of offers for a quick lay since the world had went to crap and if that's what he wanted he wouldn't be messing around with me. I got jealous and he liked it. Needless to say we ended up making out and he just muttered the nickname in the heat of the moment. I told him I liked that one and it's stuck ever since."

Just then Patricia stuck her head out the door. "Beth, are you trying to get Layla on your side concerning pasta day?" She teased lightly.

"Nope. I was just explaining how my nickname from Daryl came about." I told her honestly as I stood from my chair. "But now I guess it's time to get to work making tons of pasta." I said sarcastically.

Layla followed my lead and stood up too.

Patricia held the door open for both of us. "Want to make your fruity pasta again?"

I nodded as I headed for the pantry where I kept the dried fruit powder that we used to flavor the water, breads, and such. "Sure. I'm certain the Riverside folks would love some fruity pasta salad." I commented with a roll of my eyes.

"Fruity pasta salad?" Cady asked as she sat on her designated stool, since her ankle was still healing, kneading her ball of dough.

Setting my five jars of dried fruit powder on the table I pointed to each of them. "Strawberry. Blueberry. Blackberry. Raspberry. Peach. You just sprinkle some of into the dough and it gives the dough a fruity flavor. Turning the fruit into powder keeps us from throwing it away and it allows us to make our version of Kool-Aid or anything really. Instead of using actual fruit for a fruit salad, you just use the fruit flavored pasta when the fresh fruit isn't available." I explained as I began the tedious process of building my balls of dough. First came the flower onto the counter, then a well for the eggs, then the fruit powder, then slowly mixing them all together with my hands until a lumpy ball formed. Once I had the ball formed I began kneading the dough until it was silky smooth.

"Do you guys make any other flavors of pasta?" Alexa asked as she placed her ball of dough into a bowl, draping it with a damp towel to rest for a little bit.

All of us that had been making pasta for the past several months chuckled. "We've experimented with just about everything we have at our disposal just to change things up." Baylee said with a shake of her head as she kneaded her herbal pasta. "I'm making herbal pasta. I added parsley, basil, and thyme to the dough. It gives normally bland soups that extra little kick." She explained as she held up her ball that was sprinkled with the bright green herbs. And it's really good by itself with a little butter and a piece of bread too."

Lori held up her red ball of pasta. "This is tomato flavored pasta. It's really good in lasagna or pasta with a tomato sauce."

Patricia held up her green colored ball of dough. "Zucchini pasta. It's really good in soups."

I laughed at the expressions on the young girls' faces as their eyes bounced from each of us doing a unique flavor of pasta. I decided to go ahead and completely blow their minds. "Just wait until we make chocolate pasta." I whispered to them as I started on my second ball of dough.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Bringing my guitar along for the trade day trip made the couple of hour long ride a little more fun. "What's next?" I asked my travelling companions. I was taking requests today for a change instead of just singing whatever popped into my head.

Rosita stuck her head forward a little so she could see around Abraham's massive form that sat in the middle of the backseat between her and Michonne. "You know any Rascal Flats?" she asked softly.

I nodded with a smile. "Any particular one? I know quite a few."

"Life's a Highway?"

Without saying another word I began strumming the tune out on my guitar.

 _Life's like a road that you travel on  
When there's one day here and the next day gone  
Sometimes you bend and sometimes you stand  
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind_

 _There's a world outside every darkened door  
Where blues won't haunt you anymore  
Where brave are free and lovers soar  
Come ride with me to the distant shore_

 _We won't hesitate  
To break down the garden gate  
There's not much time left today_

 _Life is a highway  
I wanna ride it all night long  
If you're going my way  
I wanna drive it all night long_

 _Through all these cities and all these towns  
It's in my blood, and it's all around  
I love you now like I loved you then  
This is the road, and these are the hands_

 _From Mozambique to those Memphis nights  
The Khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights  
Knock me down and back up again  
You're in my blood; I'm not a lonely man_

 _There's no load I can't hold  
A road so rough this I know  
I'll be there when the light comes in  
Tell 'em we're survivors  
Life is a highway  
I wanna ride it all night long  
If you're going my way  
I wanna drive it all night long  
Life is a highway  
I wanna ride it all night long  
If you're going my way  
I wanna drive it all night long_

 _There was a distance between you and I  
A misunderstanding once  
But now we look in the eye_

 _There ain't no load that I can't hold  
A road so rough this I know  
I'll be there when the light comes in  
Tell 'em we're survivors_

 _Life is a highway  
I wanna ride it all night long  
If you're going my way  
I wanna drive it all night long  
Life is a highway  
I wanna ride it all night long  
If you're going my way  
I wanna drive it all night long  
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, yeah  
Life is a highway  
I wanna ride it all night long  
If you're going my way  
I wanna drive it all night long_

"Thanks Beth." Rosita said as she reached forward to pat me on the shoulder gently. "That was beautiful. My mama loved that song."

I nodded as I rested the guitar in my lap for a minute. "Your welcome, Rosie. Anytime."

It got quiet in the truck for a few miles while I absentmindedly strummed the strings of the guitar. "We're here." Daryl finally announced as he turned off the highway into what I'm sure used to be a bustling park for all the local families.

"Eyes and ears, folks." Rick said as Daryl pulled the truck to a stop near the pavilion.

We all piled out of the truck with our weapons drawn, eyes scanning, and ears open for noises. "Lucky." Daryl whispered as I climbed out of the truck beside him.

"Like glue, I know." I whispered as I followed him as we cleared the area. Daryl and I ran into a few walkers that we quickly took care of before meeting back with the group at the pavilion picnic tables. "All good?" Daryl asked as he hopped up onto the top of one of the metal picnic tables.

Rick nodded. "Yeah, we had to take down a few but mainly just stragglers."

"Same here." Rosita said as she and Abraham joined us.

Settling onto the bench of the picnic table between Daryl's legs I relaxed a little bit. "That's good." I whispered as I looked around, trying to picture what the place used to look like when it was kept up and full of kids and families. "You know, it's kind of sad that the kids of the future will never know of the fun that places like this gave people."

Michonne nodded. "Before the turn I used to make it a point to take Andre to the park every weekend and sometime during the week if life wasn't too busy."

"My Mama used to take all of us kids to the park down the street from our house to run out our extra energy when we were little and then when we were teenagers we used to meet up with our friends there to hang out away from our parents." Rosita said as she leaned into Abraham's shoulder as they sat side by side on a picnic table next to ours.

Rick smiled as he threw an arm around Michonne's shoulders. "I have some good memories of Lori, Carl, and I at the park. Picnics, feeding the ducks, playing on the jungle gym, and running around. It's sad that days like that are just gone now. We're basically having to spend our lives in a prison of sorts. Behind walls just to stay alive."

"Yeah but if we're gonna be locked away the farm is a pretty awesome play to be locked away at." I said with a shake of my head as a familiar truck pulled into the parking lot. "They're here!" I said excitedly as I hopped up quickly to go meet Sarah as she climbed from the truck.

She greeted me just as excitedly as I did her, wrapping her arms tightly around my body and squeezing me tight. "Hell sweetheart. You look really happy." She commented as she cupped my cheeks, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I nodded. "Maggie had her baby which now makes us all aunts and uncles to a beautiful little boy!" I chirped as I pulled the photo I snapped just a few days ago of the Rhee family with six day old baby Shawn front and center.

"Oh, he's adorable Beth. How is Maggie doing?" She asked as we stepped to the side to let the guys swap the crates, buckets, and barrels of stuff from truck to truck while Rosita and Michonne kept watch.

Tucking the picture back into the back pocket of my capris I looped an arm through Sarah's, guiding her a bit away from the others. "She's doing okay but is having a rough time finding the balance between protecting our place and being a mother to a newborn baby."

Sarah led me to the picnic tables on the far side of the pavilion to give us some privacy as we spoke. "Every new mother struggles with that same issue. Before the world fell and our main responsibility became staying alive and trying to figure out a way to survive us women had jobs and other responsibilities that often took us away from our children. She will find the right balance between work and the baby."

I nodded at her words. "I think she's extra frustrated because Baylee didn't seem to struggle at all after Ian was born. Neither did Lori but Judy was her second baby." I said quietly as I sat next to her on the picnic bench.

"But what are Baylee and Lori's main job in your community?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"Baylee helps me in the garden and Patricia with the house chores while Lori helps school the children and helps out with the house chores too." I explained, not sure where she was going with this because it took all of us to keep our farm running smoothly.

Sarah nodded her head as she patted me on the knee. "Your sister is part of the protection team is she not?" At my nod she continued. "She feels more pressure than Baylee or Lori. Her main job since this world turned on us has been to make sure the people on that farm are safe and protected. Unfortunately, with you being the one in control of the gardens and food supply you will feel a similar stress too when you start having your beautiful babies."

"I'm too busy still figuring things out to have a baby right now." I muttered with a shake of my head.

Wrapping her arm around my shoulders she pulled me against her side. "Babies don't always come when it's convenient, Beth, but we love them regardless. Lyle came when we were both struggling to get on our feet but we figured it out. Just like your sister will figure out the correct balance that works for her and the baby. When that time comes for you and your handsome mister you both will figure it out too. We all do eventually."

"I hope so, it's hard seeing her struggle with everything though." I said softly before I finally remembered that I was supposed to tell her about the six teenage girls we took in a few weeks back. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about the young girls we took in a few weeks ago." I said getting excited at the mention of the six girls that had quickly become an integral part of our family.

Sarah's eyes went wide at both my words and my excited tone. "Young girls? By themselves in this world?"

I nodded. "Yep, and they were kicking butt too when we encountered two of them in the woods. Had made the trip all the way from Arkansas pretty much on their own after their community got struck by lightening and set ablaze."

"Wow. How old are they?"

"14 to 18." I said sadly. "Too young to have been through everything they've been through but this world isn't for the faint of heart and weak anymore. They're tough girls but extremely thankful to have a safe place to lay their heads at night. The six of them are very close." I commented with a loud sigh because despite our best accommodations the six of them piled into the single wall room we had been using as storage without complaint. Daryl and Tyrese had spent a few days fashioning them some custom bunkbeds so that they could each have their own beds without it taking up the entire space.

Sarah's eyes dimmed a bit before a smile began to creep through once again. "That's nice that they have each other. I'm sure that's what has gotten them through the past several months or however long it's been since they lost their homes. Time spent within the safety of your walls will allow their tight bonds to loosen a bit."

"Maybe." I nodded as I turned my attention to Daryl as he helped Abraham lift a heavy barrel from the bed of the Riverside truck. "What all did you guys bring this time?" I asked curiously.

"All kinds of goodies this time. We found a cove of coconut trees by pure luck so we split the ones we picked with you guys. There's shrimp, crab meat, fish, jars of salt, goat cheese, and so much more too. Oh, and cotton seeds." She said excitedly. "Joseph found a cotton field on his latest scout mission and came back with a truck bed full of the stuff. We've split the seeds with you guys" She said excitedly.

I shook my head. "No, but I'm sure between all of us we'll figure it out. I'll talk to Daryl about making a run to a library in the coming months. It's easier to make runs during the winter months because the cold temperatures tend to slow the walkers down. I remember from school that cotton isn't planted until after the last frost of the winter. So we're not in a real big hurry." I explained as Daryl in our direction.

"Looks like our time is up." Sarah said with a small laugh.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Looking out the window at the white fluffy flakes that fell in thick sheets I couldn't help but sigh heavily as Daryl lay stretched out on our bed in nothing but his low-slung jeans. "Lucky, please come here." He called out to me softly.

I was stressed out because Michonne, Rick, Sasha, Bob, Andrea and Steven were out on a rescue mission and had been gone for almost four days. They were still out there and the snow had been coming down steadily since last night. "I'm worried about them." I whispered as I walked towards the bed where Daryl lay looking at me with a wicked look on his face. The only reason Daryl and I hadn't hopped in the truck with our friends was because I had been still recovering from a rough bout of the flu that had made it's way around the farm. Thanks to Dakota's knowledge of natural medicines and Patricia's nurturing personality the twelve of us that ended up getting sick were in really good hands.

"I know, Lucky, I know. I'm worried too but they'll be back soon. The snow pro'ly made 'em hole up." He whispered against the top of my head as he pulled me into his warm embrace.

Nodding against his chest I settled against his warmth. "I know but I still wish we could have went with them." I muttered sullenly. "None of the ones that went are the friendliest person in the world." Daryl's chuckle vibrated my chest but he spoke no words. He didn't need to.

We lay there just reveling in being together until a knock sounded on our outside door. "Are y'all decent?" Came Maggie's muffled voice from the other side.

"Come in, Mags." I called out as I sat up next to Daryl on the bed while he simply folded his arms behind his head and crossed his ankles. Shaking my head at him I folded my legs underneath me so that I sat on the bed next to him when my sister and nephew walked in the door. "Hello baby." I cooed as I held my arms out for my four-month-old nephew who was wreaking havoc on my sister and brother in law because he was teething. "Who's a precious boy!?" I asked him as Maggie passed him into my arms.

"And who's chopped liver?" Maggie grumped as she sat in the chair we kept next to the bed for when I wanted to read or Daryl was doing something.

I smiled at her over my nephew's head as I tickled his sides causing his giggle to fill the room. "You're not chopped liver, Mags. He's just cuter than you are." I teased her as baby Shawn gripped my hair as I tickled his sides.

"Haha." Maggie said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm bored and Glenn is on watch duty." She said as she folded her arms over her chest. "I miss it." She whispered softly.

Placing the baby on Daryl's stomach I slid off the bed to kneel next to my sister. "Then why don't you go join him on watch duty, Maggie? Daryl and I will watch the baby. Daddy and Patricia would watch him too. Or any of the girls. Maggie, there are plenty of people here that would be happy to watch him for a few hours while you go do your thing."

Maggie looked at me with tears in her eyes. "I feel like I'll miss something if I leave him with someone. And he's fussy because he's teething. Then he's finally learned how to roll over so he likes to roll everywhere now."

"Those are just excuses, Maggie. We all know what he's doing and are still more than willing to watch him anytime. You can't lose yourself just because you had a baby. Patricia has told you that, Sarah told me to tell you that, Lori and Baylee have said the same thing." I told her firmly before pulling her into a tight hug. "Now, why don't you go join your husband on watch while Daryl and I spend some quality time with this munchkin?" I asked her as I released her from my tight hug.

She glanced behind me where Daryl was playing 'patty cake' with the baby. "Are you sure?"

I nodded as I squeezed her hand tightly in mine before sitting back on the edge of the bed. "Yes, we're sure. Now go."

"There is some chamomile tea on the top of the—" Maggie began to explain rapidly until I shook my head.

"I know, Mags. We've got this. I've been babysitting the neighborhood kids since I was ten years old." I told her softly as she stood from the chair, wiping her palms against her jeans. "We've got this and we both know where you'll be if something happens."

With a heavy sigh she pulled my nephew into her arms, kissing him profusely all over his little head while he giggled loudly at his mother's admiration. "I love you, son. Be good for your Aunt Lucky and Uncle Daryl." She whispered as she handed her most precious possession back to me.

I couldn't help but smile at the ease the nickname rolled off my sisters lips. "Go, Maggie. He's fine. We're fine." I urged my sister as I bounced my chubby nephew in my lap.

Maggie nodded as she slowly backed towards the door. By the time she reached the door she had tears in her eyes but managed to get out of the room before they fell.

Scooting around on the bed until I faced a grinning Daryl I placed the happy baby back in his lap. "Well, Uncle Daryl it looks like we are the lucky ones that get to watch this precious cargo first. Everybody is going to be so jealous!" I teased.

He shook his head as he tickled baby Shawn's stomach causing him to double over in laughter.

We spent the next hour playing with the baby on the bed but then he began fussing and our efforts weren't doing the trick anymore. "You keep him company while I run to Maggie and Glenn's to grab his bottle and the chamomile for his gums. It's about his nap time." I told Daryl as I stomped my feet into my boots while pulling my thick winter jacket on.

I pulled my hood on over my head as I stepped out of door to cross the green space we shared with Maggie and Glenn that contained our 'bathroom' that we also shared. Walking into Maggie and Glenn's space I couldn't help but smile at how different it was from mine and Daryl's space. They guys had put up a few walls to make separate spaces whereas most of our rooms were just wide open. I found Shawn's dresser easily enough and quickly located a clean diaper, some dried breast milk, a clean bottle, and the chamomile tea in a jar. Gathering the items in my arms I quickly made my way back outside and to mine and Daryl's home.

Once we had the baby cleaned up, fed, and soothed he settled down in the middle of our bed for his nap fairly easy. Daryl settled into the bedside chair while I situated pillows around my snoozing nephew. "He's out for the count it seems." I whispered as I settled across his lap, resting against his chest. "You are really good with him despite your claims to not be any good with babies."

Daryl simply grunted as he kicked his feet up onto the stump we used for a foot stool.

Taking care of baby Shawn for the afternoon did the trick of taking my mind off of our missing friends that were out there in the snow but once his parents came to collect him my mind went right back to them. "Lucky, we'll go lookin' in the morning'." Daryl told me as we walked arm in arm towards the main house for dinner.

"Daybreak?" I asked as I reached down to fiddle with Trouble's ears as she walked along between us. She had spent the day outside 'chasing' snowflakes as they fell from the sky before collapsing on her bed before the heater in our house.

"Yep." Daryl said as he reached forward to open the door for us.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Organizing the search party for our missing friends dominated the dinner conversation. "We'll need a few days to find the origin of the smoke and divide up the surrounding areas into search grids so that we make sure no place is left unsearched." Jesus said from his seat at the table.

Immediately I began shaking my head. "No way. We're leaving at dawn in the morning. They've been out there long enough on their own." I said firmly. "Maggie, will you please go out with us? You and I know this area better than anybody else here." I asked my sister pleadingly. "These are our friends and it's freezing out there!" I begged as I leaned forward onto the table looking at my sister, begging her with both my eyes and my voice.

After a few excruciating minutes Maggie finally nodded. "Okay. I'll go with you but I will NOT stay out overnight under any circumstances." She said as she stood from the table cradling baby Shawn who was sleeping in the sling wrap she had wrapped over her shoulder. "Daybreak, Beth. So that we have all day to search. The more people the better." Maggie ordered before slipping on her jacket for the walk back to her house.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief before standing to go pull the maps we had of the area while Patricia and Lori cleared the table of the dinner dishes. The next few hours was spent organizing the search party while Dakota, Patricia, and Lori packed up supplies for our next day excursions. We were leaving the farm very vulnerable but getting our friends back safe and sound was too important to leave our strongest players there. Dakota, Patricia, Hershel, Lori, Baylee, Eric, Cady, Alexa, Dale, Karen, and Lucy were all staying behind on the farm with the kids. Everybody else was going out on the search party.

It was a HUGE search party!

21 people HUGE!

To go look for six of our people who were missing for almost a week now.

In the frigid unpredictable Georgia winter.

"Happy?" Daryl asked as he led me to our small slice of paradise among the chaos that was our home.

I nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah but I'll be even happier when our friends are back here with us safe and sound." I whispered as he opened the door for me and Trouble.

"Me too." He whispered as he lit the candle just inside our front door before grabbing a few sticks of wood to put in our stove to last us until morning. The both of us quickly went through our nightly routine before settling into bed while Trouble flopped down onto the blanket we kept spread in front of the stove for her. "Love you, Lucky."

Snuggling into his warm embrace, tucking my cold toes between his warm legs, I felt safe and protected. "Love you, too, husband."

The next thing I know, Daryl is nudging me away. "Come on, Lucky. Time ta get up." He whispered against my ear as he slid his hand beneath the edge of his t-shirt I slept in every night.

"Ugh." I grumbled as I burrowed further into my warm spot, not wanting to leave my warm cocoon for the cold air outside. "Five more minutes." I pleaded even though I knew we really needed to get a head start on the day.

Daryl chuckled because it was common knowledge around the farm that I hated getting up for early mornings but once I was up I was a force to be reckoned with. "Lucky…" Daryl moaned as he pressed his hips flush against mine while his hand slid down towards the waistband of my panties.

I gasped as his fingers slipped into my wetness. "Daryl, do we have time?" I moaned as I gripped his arm before he could wreak anymore havoc on my body.

Nipping my neck with his teeth he whispered into my ear. "We'll make time."

"Okay." I breathed as he slipped a finger inside my body while he used his body to roll me onto my stomach. "Daryl…" I moaned as he rubbed his fingers across my throbbing nub.

Yanking his hands from my panties he quickly yanked me up onto my knees before snatching my panties to my knees. "Hold on, Lucky." He grunted as he slid inside me in one swift move causing me to bow my back towards the mattress and clench our bedsheets tightly in my fists.

Normally Daryl was a very attentive and passionate lover but I loved it also when he just lost a bit of that control and took what he wanted from me. It all felt amazing because whether he was making slow passionate love to me or just fucking me in a hurry he always made sure that I was okay and satisfied. "Oh God." I moaned as I rocked my hips back into his as he tightened his grip on my hips.

"Ya okay?" Daryl grunted as he pressed his hips tightly to mine, pulling back on my hips as he pushed forward with his hips, forcing me to take every single inch of his length.

"Oh yeah." I groaned as I pushed myself up onto the palms of my hands. "Daryl…" I moaned as he slid one hand over my hips to reach between my legs where he was buried deep within me.

Flicking his fingers over my twitching nub he sent my body soaring as he began pumping in and out of my body rapidly. "Come on, Lucky, one more." He pleaded as he continued rubbing quickly and roughly over my nub while pounding in and out of my body.

"No no no no no." I chanted as I felt my body preparing for yet another release, this one bigger than anything I had ever felt before.

Daryl slammed into me hard as his hand clenched on my hip. "Oh yeah, Lucky, come on." He begged as he pulled all the way out just to slam back in quickly. Hard. Fast.

It only took a few of those long, hard, and fast strokes before my world shattered around me and I was sent soaring into another universe. "Oh God." I muttered when I finally fell back down to earth in a boneless heap of useless flesh. A guttural groan from behind me let me know that I wasn't finished yet because my amazing husband was just about to find his release using my body to his liking. "Come on, baby, let go." I pleaded as I looked over my shoulder to watch his face as he reached his peak.

He met my eyes as he slammed into me for the final time. I couldn't help but smile as I felt his release coat my insides, causing me to quiver again because I was still sensitive from my amazing orgasms. "Love ya, Lucky." Daryl muttered as he bent forwards over my limp body, pressing a kiss to my shoulder, my ear, and my cheek before collapsing next to me on the bed.

Just a short bit later we were walking side by side out of our house to join the rest of the inhabitants of the farm at the main house for a quick breakfast of strawberry muffins and coffee. "You okay this morning, Beth?" Maggie asked as she leaned against the side of the truck where I was quietly eating my muffin while Daryl, Jesus, T-Dogg, and Abraham placed our extra weapons into each vehicle we were taking.

"I'm fine, just anxious to get going. What do you ask?" I asked her curiously because I figured she would be the one freaking out about leaving baby Shawn here at the farm while we searched for our friends.

She raised an eyebrow at me as a smirk spread across her face. "Just because our walls are made of thick logs doesn't mean noise can't escape, you know?"

I groaned as I watched the smirk spread into a full blown smile on my sisters face. "Damn."

Maggie chuckled as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It's okay, sis. You aren't the only one that's loud. Glenn and I hear Tara and Lucy going at it all the time." She said with as she pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head. "Now that I've officially embarrassed you I'm going to go say bye to my precious boy before we hit the road."

"What's got ya' cheeks so red, Lucky?" Daryl asked as he walked past me to put our packs into the truck we were taking.

"Maggie heard my wake up call this morning." I mumbled as I opened the truck door for him since he had both our packs and his crossbow in his hands.

Daryl grunted as he tossed our packs onto the seat before turning to face me. "Sorry." He whispered as he cautiously caught my eyes.

Shaking my head I reached forward to cup his cheek. "Don't be, I'm not. If I could get woke up like that every morning I would." I said as I leaned forward to press my lips to his. "I love you, Daryl Dixon."

"Love you too, Lucky Dixon." He whispered as I pulled away from him. "Let's get movin'."

~*~LUCKY~*~

I closed my eyes as Daryl pulled through the gates that led to the inner sanctuary of the farm because I didn't want to see the looks of disappointment on our friends and family's faces. Our search had once again turned up to be a futile effort that led us nowhere and gave us no new clues as to where our friends were. Today was day nine of the seemingly never-ending search for our loved ones. At least the snow had melted but that brought on a new concern for our lost friends…water. With the snow on the ground we knew that they could at least melt that down for water but now we didn't have that luxury anymore. "Ya okay?" Daryl asked as he pulled the truck around the tree and back towards the gate so that the others could line their vehicles up behind us so we could just pull out in a straight line the next morning. Trouble began whining when she saw the familiar surroundings, she was excited to be home.

"No. I thought for sure that we would have found them by now." I said softly as I fingered the new compound bow that Daryl had found for me as we searched through a house for a clue that our friends may have been there.

Daryl reached over pulling my hand onto his thigh. "We'll find 'em, Lucky. Or they'll come waltzin' up to the gate like nothin's wrong."

"Either way I just hope they're okay. They need to come home." I whispered as tears slipped down my cheeks.

"Oh, Lucky." Daryl whispered as he shoved the truck into park before pulling my bow from my hands to place it in the floor along with his. "Come 'ere."

I slipped into his lap, nestling my face in the crook of his shoulder as his arms wrapped around me to make soothing trips up and down my back as doors began opening and closing around us. "We need them here. Carl. Judy. You. We all need them here."

"We're gonna find 'em, baby. I promise." He whispered against my head as he wrapped his arms tight around me for a quick squeeze. "Let's go eat some dinner and discuss the plan for tomorrow."

Taking a deep breath I pulled back from him a little bit to place a gentle kiss to his lips. "We're never leaving this place unless we're together. Understood?" I demanded as I cupped his face with my hands.

He gave a quick nod as a smirk spread across his face. "Yes ma'am. Like glue. Always."

"Super glue. Always. I love you, Mr. Dixon." I whispered as I pressed another quick kiss to his lips.

"I love you too, Mrs. Dixon."

We climbed from the truck a few minutes later to make our way to the farmhouse to join the rest of our family inside. After a delicious dinner prepared by Lori, Cady, and Patricia we all went our separate ways to decompress from the stressful day of being outside our secure walls searching for our loved ones. Walking into our home with Daryl behind me and Trouble beside me I couldn't help but breathe a heavy sigh of relief. As Daryl and I went about our nightly routine of getting us and Trouble ready for bed my mind began to wonder to our missing friends once again. "Are we ever going to find them?" I whispered as I sat on the bed while Daryl added more wood to our little pot belly stove so we could stay warm through the night.

"I don't know, baby, but we'll keep lookin' for as long as ya want." He told me as he shut the lid on the stove before patting Trouble on top of her head as she lay on her bed a few feet from the heat. "G'night darlin'." He whispered to the dog as he made his way to the bed. Once he was stripped down to his boxers Daryl he joined me beneath the blankets, taking me into his arms, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Love you, Lucky."

Wrapping my arm across his chest, throwing my leg across his hips, I settled into his embrace with a contented sigh. "Love you, too."

The next morning we were loading our packs, ammo, weapons, and food into the vehicles when Dale let out a loud whistle from the gate platform. Our resources of people to guard the property were stretched thin but we had someone posted in each direction at least. Dale was on the gate platform which was pointed North, Lori was on East behind the house by the gardens, Karen was on West in the cow pasture, and Alexa was perched on top of Rick and Michonne's house which guarded the South. Then they switched out with Dakota, Karen, Cady, and Eric at sunset. It was wearing folks out but it was the best we could do since the majority of us spent the day outside the gates looking for our lost loved ones.

Every single one of us grabbed our weapons and took off in a sprint towards the gate where Dale was leaning over the wall. "There are people walking down the road!" He called down to all of us. Daryl and Abraham quickly scaled the ladder leading to the platform while Rosita and I ran to the other side to the other platform.

I could hear Abraham, Daryl, and Dale talking but I couldn't make anything out but the gasp that came from Rosita's lips as she looked through the binoculars she always carried with her. "What do you see? They're too far for me to make anything out!" I asked hurriedly as I squinted my eyes at the people, not walkers, walking down our road that we had worked hard to obscure and block from every entry point.

"It's them!" She told me with a broad smile before handing me the binoculars as she raced back to the wall to lean over the edge of it. "It's them! And they've got people with them!" She called down to the others who were waiting anxiously at the bottom of the fence.

Daryl whistled to get my attention from the other platform. "The four of us." He motioned to himself, me, Rosita, and Abraham. "Are going outside the gates to see what is going on. Weapons ready." He said with a firm nod.

"Okay." I told him quickly.

Within minutes the four of us was stepping through the crack in the exterior gates before motioning for Dale to close it back. The others had their instructions to spread out throughout the farm but stay low and hidden until we knew for certain what was going on. We trusted our friends but it's the others that we didn't trust. "Like glue, Lucky." Daryl whispered as we all headed down the short driveway to the edge of the road to wait on our friends and their companions.

I watched as one of the strangers tapped Michonne on the shoulder and pointed at us. I watched with baited breath as Michonne and Rick both lifted their heads and looked in our direction. Abraham, Rosita, Daryl, and I stood spread out across the gravel road with our weapons aimed straight ahead. "Michie?! Rick?!" I called out anxiously as the compound bow shook slightly in my hands.

The four of us stood there with our weapons drawn and aimed at our friends and the small group of people with them because while we were excited that our friends were home we still didn't know the people with them. "I don't see Andrea or Steven. Do you?" I asked the others as my eyes scanned over the small group of people standing behind our friends.

"I don't." Rosita said from the other side of Abraham. We continued to watch as Rick and Michonne turned to speak to the people behind them. Slowly, one by one the group of people formed a tight circle and sat down in the middle of the road while the dog circled them keeping guard. "What are they doing?"

I couldn't help but smile because Michonne and Rick were showing us that the group of people they were with weren't threatening to them or us. "Showing us that they mean us no harm would be my guess." I whispered as I watched Michonne and Rick walk towards us. "Here they come." I whispered quietly.

Rick and Michonne looked road weary, similar to the way they looked when they first came to the farm so long ago. All of the questions I had for my friends would have to wait until we dealt with the people they had brought back with them. "It's so good to see you guys. I never realized how far off the beaten path the farm really was until a few days ago." Michonne said as she came to a stop in front of me. "You guys can lower your weapons, those folks have no desire to hurt any of us. They're scared and worried about what comes next." She explained quickly.

I glanced at Daryl to see him lowering his crossbow to his side so I did the same with my own compound bow. "Where did you find them people at?" I asked quickly.

"They are the only survivors of a very unfortunate battle. There home was destroyed and most of their loved ones and friends massacred. We told them we had a safe place if they wanted to come home with us." Rick explained quickly as he glanced back over his shoulder to check on the people still sitting in the middle of the gravel road with their massive dog still circling them. "Michie said that we couldn't leave them behind because she wouldn't be able to look you in the eye if we did." Rick said with a shake of his head.

His words brought a smile to Michonne's face. "Well, it's true."

With those words I couldn't help but step forward and wrap my arms around the slender woman's body. "I've missed you two so much. Are Andrea and Steven okay?" I asked as I pulled back from her hug.

Rick shook his head as he looked between all four of us spread across the road. "No. It's a long story but they're dead."

"Damn." Abraham said from beside me. "Can we get in off this road now?"

Rick looked at all of us. "We've already explained how things go here at the farm so they all know that they have to stay locked within the two gates for a few weeks." He explained as he waved at the group to stand up and come towards us.

"They're all just grateful to be alive at this point I think. The two little kids, Luke and Molly, lost their parents in the fight so Rick and I have been watching out for them since we started our journey home." Michonne explained as the group slowly walked towards us. "Oh and we may have found Trouble a boyfriend!"

~*~LUCKY~*~

"This is absolutely delicious, Beth." Lindsey, who was almost four months pregnant with her first baby, said as she bit into the peach and pecan muffin I had brought out for them while Patricia fixed a huge pot of warm soup for lunch.

Smiling over at her I couldn't help but smile at the young woman. She had obviously used the shower that Lucy and T-Dogg had rigged up for the keeper rooms. It wasn't near as nice as ours inside the walls but at least it offered them a chance to get clean. "Thank you but I can't really take the credit for any of the cooking around here. That's mainly Patricia and Lori's jobs. Mine is to make sure the gardens produce year-round."

"Well please tell her that these are delicious. I didn't think muffins was possible anymore since grocery stores became a thing of the past." She said softly as she rubbed a hand over her baby bump that was barely visible beneath the hooded sweater she wore.

Reaching down to rub between Trouble's ears I looked at Lindsey curiously. "What did you guys eat at your last place?"

"Whatever the guardians or hunters brought back. We lived in an apartment building but the only ones that ever ventured to the bottom four floors were the leaders, guardians, and hunters. The rest of us lived on floor five through twelve." She explained as she looked around the room she and her boyfriend, William, had taken as their own for the time being. "William and I had just moved into the apartments a few months before everything went to crap. I was a school teacher and William was the foreman for a construction company but now those skills don't mean much anymore."

"Of course they do! William's skills as a construction foreman will help us to expand this place and help keep our walls strong and sturdy. We have a few people here with some construction experience. As for your skills as a teacher, we have plenty of children inside the walls that need to still learn the basics of math, reading, and writing. As of right now we all pitch in to teach them what we can but you being an actual teacher will come in to great use." I said excitedly.

Her eyes got wide. "Oh. I didn't think about that. Just from what I've seen so far and heard from Michonne and Rick this place is pretty impressive without our skills."

I nodded in agreement. "It is but there are always things that can be made better. We like to believe that we can make it safe enough that we can all live again and not just simply survive. I've been lucky because this is the same farm I was born on and grew up on."

"You grew up here?" She asked as she placed her hands on her bump. "I'm terrified to have this baby knowing that there are things out there trying to kill us at every little noise. I don't want my baby to end up like little Susan, Molly, or Luke." Susan was the niece of two brothers, Joe and Taylor, who were among the newcomers.

"Michonne explained a little about Luke and Molly's situation but what happened to Susan?" I asked softly.

Lindsey sighed and hung her head a bit. "Her parents were murdered when your friends attempted to rescue their friends from our leader."

I nodded. "They haven't told us what all went down yet but I am certain they meant none of you any harm. Rick has two children on the other side of that wall and he would never bring any harm to them or their mother even though they're not together anymore."

She nodded. "I know but our leader turned out to be a psychopath who liked to torture women who didn't cave to his demands."

"Oh." I said and before I could say anything more William walked back inside with a towel slung around his shoulders and his dirty clothes in his hands. "Did you have a nice shower?" I asked as I stood from the small table where the basket of muffins sat.

He looked at me with a big smile. "I have. It's been so long since I've been able to stand under a shower spray and actually feel clean. Thank you for bringing breakfast too. We are so appreciative to all of you."

I nodded as I stood up to go. "I'm not sure if I'm going to be the one bringing lunch by but if there is anything you need just call up to the people keeping watch up top and someone will see that you get whatever you need. I do know that Dakota, our healer, wants to come take a look at all of you pretty soon."

"Healer? Not doctor?" William asked cautiously.

"She prefers to be called a healer but she went to medical school in Arizona and was a practicing doctor before returning to her Native American roots. We also have an army medic in our midst with surgical experience." I explained as I made my way to the front door. "You all are in safe hands, I promise."

That seemed to pacify both of the expecting parents as I made my way out the door.

I had delivered baskets of goodies to each of the four keeper rooms to properly introduce myself and get to know each of the newcomers a little bit. Mika, Macey, and Emily had sent a basket of toys with me for the children in the group so they wouldn't be so bored. Lori and Baylee sent me with a basket of baby items for Martha and Elliot's little girl, Mya. I had packed some dog treats, dog food, and a bone for Drew to chew on since his owner, Josh was getting a good meal too.

As I made my way to the gate I looked up to see Daryl standing up there with his crossbow held in his hands. "Lucky, you want to come keep me company?" He called down to me as he worked the crank to open the inner door a bit so I could slide through.

"Of course!" I called up to him as Trouble and I slipped through the small opening before he reversed the crank to close the gate back tightly. I sent Trouble on her way to go find Michonne or Rick so I could spend a few hours on the platform with my handsome husband.

I spent the next several hours keeping Daryl company on the roof platform while watching the newcomers move about and get situation in their new homes. So I watched through a window as the little kids played with their new toys and through another window I could see that little Mya was sitting on a blanket on the floor surrounded by a few of her new toys in new clean clothes.

"Think they'll stay?" Daryl asked as he stood at the edge of the wall looking out over the road. He was on high alert because of Rick, Michonne, and the others walking down the road this morning.

I shrugged my shoulders as I watched Samantha sit on the steps of her little room she was sharing with her two teenage sons reading a book. Her sons, Zeke and John, were in the driveway tossing a football, that Carl had sent with me this morning, back and forth. "I don't know but I think they could be a good fit here. William was a construction foreman and Lindsey was a school teacher before the world went to crap. We at least owe it to the children to offer the farm as a home."

Daryl placed a kiss to the side of my head as he squeezed my arm gently. "Stay optimistic, Lucky."

"I'm gonna try, babe, I'm gonna try." I told him as I smiled brightly at him.

That night after the tables were cleaned of dishes the entirety of our family began discussing where were going to put the newcomers if or when they became part of our family. "I'm thinking Luke and Molly can come live with Aaron and I. If they want to, that is." Eric said softly from his spot next to Aaron. "We introduced ourselves this afternoon and have plans to go visit with them again tomorrow."

I couldn't help but smile broadly at the thought of those two men becoming parents to little Luke and Molly. "They're really good kids but they're scared." Michonne told Eric. "I really think you four will be a good fit for one another."

"Thanks Michonne, that means a lot. Not many people know this but we were looking into adopting a few kids before the world went crazy." Eric said as he leaned into Aaron's side.

"You're welcome." Michonne said as she looked around at all the others. "We still need rooms for all of the others."

Lori turned to Rick, who was holding Judith in his lap. "Andrew and I were thinking of moving out to the wall with all of you guys. I was thinking that since the garage is fairly big that it would be a good fit for the two brothers and the little girl."

"Taylor, John, and little Susan." Michonne supplies, for those of us who hadn't gotten out to meet the newcomers. "I think they would love to have the garage and that little room that was set up for Carl would be just right for Susan."

"We'll have to swap the beds out for two smaller ones since Taylor and John are brothers. I'm sure they are too old to be sharing a bed anymore." Patricia said as she rubbed her palms together, as if preparing herself for the big upcoming changes. "The game room should make a good space for the young couple with the baby."

"Martha, Elliot, and Mya." Rick supplied this time. "We'll have to get them a baby bed."

Patricia nodded. "We've got an extra one stored in the basement, I believe."

"Good. We'll have to figure out where they fit not only in the house but chore wise on the farm." Michonne said. "They all understand that everybody here pitches in to make things run smoothly and are willing to help in any way they can."

"We can figure out their place on the farm later but right now we got to figure out where they fit in the house so they have rooms ready for them when they get out of the keeper rooms." Maggie said as she rocked baby Shawn gently to keep him from fussing too much.

Aaron leaned forward in his seat, elbows on the edge of the table. "What about the Parlor space for the guy with the dog? If it fit Eric and I for months then he should have no problem in the space."

"The guys name is Josh and the dog is Drew." Rick supplied.

Baylee who had offered to write everything down for us nodded that she got everything so far. "What about the woman with the two teenage boys?" She asked softly.

"Maybe the boys can share Maggie's old room and the mom can have my old room?" I suggested softly.

Maggie nodded in agreement to that suggestion. "Yeah that sounds like it would work."

"Samantha, Zeke, and John." Michonne said as she stood from the table. "Now if we have all of that worked out, I would love to go reacquaint myself with my bed."

That spurred the end of our meeting so we all stood to go our separate ways.


	24. Chapter 24

Sorry for the command issue earlier! A loyal reader was nice enough to message me and let me know it posted that way!

* * *

CHAPTER 24

"Can you sing us a song, Ms. Beth?" Jada asked as she grabbed another pot from our slowly dwindling stack. She was the youngest of the six girls and also the most reserved and shy.

I nodded as I scooped a small amount of soil over the seed I had just planted in my pot. "Sure. Any requests?" I asked the six young women that were helping me get all the seeds planted.

"Do you know any Alabama songs? I know they're old but my momma used to listen to them all the time before she got sick." Lyla asked. She had opened up a bit since coming to the farm and the girl had been through a lot even before the world went to crap. Her mom had been diagnosed with cancer when the girl was just eight years old and despite a hard battle she ultimately lost the fight leaving a ten year old little girl to be raised by a workaholic father. She had lost him in the disaster that sent these six girls out on the road.

Winking at her I cleared my throat before launching into an acapella version of an old Alabama song I had heard my momma sing several times.

 _I was walkin' home from school_

 _On a cold winter day,_

 _Took a short cut through the woods_

 _And I lost my way._

 _It was gettin' late, and I was scared and alone._

 _Then a kind old man took my hand, and led me home._

 _Mama couldn't see him,_

 _But he was standing there,_

 _And I knew in my heart_

 _He was the answer to my prayer._

 _Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us,_

 _Sent down to us from somewhere up above._

 _They come to you and me in our darkest hours_

 _To show us how to live_

 _To teach us how to give_

 _To guide us with a light of love._

 _When life held troubled times_

 _And had me down on my knees_

 _There's always been someone_

 _To come along and comfort me_

 _A kind word from a stranger_

 _To lend a helping hand_

 _A phone call from a friend_

 _Just to say I understand_

 _Now ain't it kind of funny_

 _At the dark end of the road_

 _Someone light the way with just a single ray of hope._

 _Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us,_

 _Sent down to us from somewhere up above._

 _They come to you and me in our darkest hours_

 _To show us how to live_

 _To teach us how to give_

 _To guide us with a light of love._

 _They wear so many faces,_

 _Show up in the strangest places_

 _And grace us with their mercies in our time of need._

 _Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us,_

 _Sent down to us from somewhere up above._

 _They come to you and me in our darkest hours_

 _To show us how to live_

 _To teach us how to give_

 _To guide us with a light of love._

 _To guide us with a light of love_

Once the song was over I heard Lyla sniffling but none of us said anything as we continued to plant our seeds that we would carry over to the greenhouse in a little bit. It was more productive to transplant seedlings to the prepared garden beds instead of just seeds. With planting seeds we typically lost at least a quarter of our plants because they never came up but with planting seedlings I could cut that number down to almost no loss.

"Thank you." Lyla said once she had regained control of her emotions.

"You're more than welcome." I told her as I began placing the small plastic pots onto a tray to make it easier to carry to the greenhouse.

We continued to work side by side on the benches until we had stacks of trays filled with pots ready to be transported over to the greenhouse. "You girls ready?" I asked them as I picked up my stack of trays to carry over.

"Yes ma'am." They all said as they picked up their small stacks of trays. We had been planting seeds for several hours but when the seeds sprouted the girls would be able to finally feel like their hard work paid off. I remember back to when my dad first made me plant seeds as a child to teach me patience. It was horrible until I finally saw the little plant head began to pop through the soil, then it was all worth it. "Just remember to be careful. Go as slow as you possibly can because these little cups will keep us fed next winter." I reminded them as I led the way out of the garden shed towards the greenhouse that was about 15 foot from my little garden shed. "Keep track of your trays too." I called out as an afterthought because we had each planted different vegetables.

Once we were inside the warm greenhouse we all shed our jackets and toboggans before pulling all the small pots and cups from the trays. "Willow, grab that clipboard from the shelf next to the door please." I asked the young girl as I sat my stack of trays on the one table in the middle of the space. The walls were lined with metal shelves that everybody had collected on our runs.

"Got it." She said as she came to stand right next to me with the clipboard in her hand. "What are we doing with this?"

Pointing to all the trays that now were stacked on the table in front of each girl that had sat them there. "We have to write down which vegetable goes on which shelf and how many we have of each. I have a list in the house of how many plants we need of each item in the garden to keep our food stock built up. It's important to keep track of everything, that's what ensures that we don't run out of food halfway through the winter months." I explained as I began unpacking my trays onto a shelf. "One hundred and twenty tomato plants." I called over my shoulder once I was finished unloading the last plastic cup onto the shelf.

"Whoah!" Jada exclaimed from where she stood next to her trays. When the girls had first came to live at the farm she had babies one precious tomato plant that she had been growing in an old food can while they were on the road.

I looked over my shoulder to see her expression and couldn't help but smile at her. "Yeah, it's a lot. Last year I only had thirty something plants but we've almost double in people so we are going to need a lot more food this next winter. "I plant to have a hundred and fifty total. But the other thirty will be cherry tomatoes."

"Oh." They all said softly as Enid stepped forward with her trays of eggplant seeds.

As I placed the cups onto a different shelf I kept count silently until all of Enid's trays was empty and stacked on top of my empty ones. "What did you have Enid?" I asked the girl even though I knew, I was seeing if she had been paying attention.

"Eggplants. There should be sixty-three cups." She said softly.

I nodded in agreement. "There were indeed sixty-three eggplant cups. I had eighty on my list which means we will only need to plant how many seeds tomorrow?" I asked her.

It took a minute before she answered me. "Seventeen."

"Correct. You got that Willow?" I asked the girl who had my precious clipboard in her hands along with my pencil.

"Yes ma'am. What do you want next?" She asked for everybody.

Smiling at all of them I scooted down to the next available shelf. "Peppers." I told the girls.

"How many did you count?" I asked Lyla as I started in on her second tray of cups.

"Seventy-seven."

I nodded as I diligently placed the cups onto the shelves while she held the trays. "So if I plan to plant ninety of these how many do I still have to plant?"

She giggled as she balanced her last tray of cups. "That's too easy."

"Then what's the answer?" I asked as we all giggled.

"Twenty-three."

"Good job." I told her as I motioned for Willow to write down the number Lyla had given me before motioning for Cady to bring me her trays.

We continued this routine until all six of the girls tray were empty and the greenhouse shelves began to look full. "So what's the verdict, Willow? Good day or bad day?" I asked her as we all started pulling on our coats and toboggans as we prepared to venture back out into the cold winter weater.

"I say good day. We've only got a few left to plant tomorrow. Are these the only seeds we're starting in here?" She asked as she handed me the list to look over.

I nodded. "Yes and no. Brocolli, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Tomato, Peppers, and Cabbage are the best vegetables that handle the transplanting. Everything else will be planted directly into the garden beds. We still have a different type of tomato to plant and a few different types of peppers to plant."

"Oh okay. When do we start planting seeds into the actual garden beds?" Cady asked as we gathered up the trays to take back to the garden shed.

"In just a few weeks. There is still a lot of work to be done before we start planting outside but most of all we have to wait until the last frost of the season. Otherwise our crops will just wither and die." I explained as we began the trek back to the garden shed. On our way over I spotted Martha and Baylee laughing as they pinned clothes to the clothes lines we had strung up in the back yard. "Have you girls had a chance to get to know the two young men that recently joined our farm?" I asked the six teenage girls as we headed into the shed that held all of my gardening stuff.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Kneeling next to the garden bed I ran my fingers gently over the tomato plants all of us had painstakingly transplanted into the garden beds a few weeks ago. "Oh, baby, you are looking so good." I crooned to the plants that were filled with little yellow flowers that would soon turn to tomatoes. Getting everything planted had been stressful but with the held of everybody we managed to get the gardens fully planted in less than a week.

"Talking to the plants again?" Baylee asked as she stood next to me with Ian on her hip.

Smiling at her over my shoulder I shrugged at her. "Maybe. Want to help me pull weeds?"

"Of course." She said as she sat chunky Ian on the grass to free up her hands. "So, I have some news." Baylee whispered after about ten minutes of working our way through the garden beds.

Looking over at her I saw that she was legitimately nervous about telling me this news because she had her bottom lip pulled between her teeth gnawing on it. "Just spill it before you chew your lip off."

"I'm late." She whispered as she looked between me and Ian who sat playing with his little toy truck in the grass.

Smiling at her I reached over to grasp her hand in mine. "Baylee this is amazing news! Babies are such a blessing and I'm sure Nathan is overjoyed with the news. Have you taken a test yet?"

She shook her head as her eyes filled with tears. "I haven't told Nathan yet and I don't think a test is necessary. I haven't had my cycle in over two months."

"What are you waiting for?" I asked her softly.

With my softly spoken question she broke down in sobs. "I don't know."

"Baylee, are you worried about Nathan's reaction? He's so amazing with Ian." I said to reassure her.

She nodded as she took a deep breath to get control of her emotions. "He is and I'm not worried about his reaction. He's asked me to marry him and I don't want him to think I'm only saying yes because I'm pregnant."

"Oh. Do you want to marry him?"

"Of course, I do. But I've never been married before and I don't know how to be someone's wife." She whispered as she whipped her cheeks to erase the tear tracks.

Chuckling at her I reached over to pull her into a gentle hug. "I didn't either, Baylee, but I learned. I'm sure Nathan doesn't expect you to act any differently or do anything differently. He loves you for you, not what you do for him."

"Dada!" Ian's sudden squeal alerted us to Nathan's presence.

I smiled encouragingly at Baylee as I stood from the garden bed to give the young family some privacy. "Just tell him." I whispered as I made my way to where Daryl and Abraham were busy sawing logs to the specified lengths Lucy and William had given them a few days ago. Some big changes were coming to our farm thanks to our newcomers; our farm was getting a smokehouse, a blacksmith building, a clinic, a school/church, and a home goods building. All of the buildings except the smokehouse would all have living quarters attached to them which would help with our space issues. William and Lindsey would be moving into the schoolhouse living quarters, Josh and Drew would be moving into the blacksmith quarters, Martha and Elliot would be taking up residence in the home goods shop, while Samantha and her boys would be staying in the clinics upstairs.

Josh, while he was an electrician by trade his passion was old fashioned blacksmithing. He had explained that he went to all the pioneer and trade shows in the state showing off old blacksmithing techniques. He had offered to put his blacksmithing skills to use for not only our farm but also Riverside. He had compiled a list of things he was going to need to get started so a run was in our very near future.

Martha had gotten into the all-natural products and lifestyle once she had gotten pregnant with Mya so she offered to make candles, soaps, lotions, and such for our farm. She also had been compiling a list of things she would need. Just like all the others were doing.

The newest newcomers had quickly found their spot within the walls of our farm.

Lindsey joined Karen in teaching the children of our community because the world going to hell was no excuse to be an idiot. They all needed to learn how to read, write, do math, and so much more just to keep living once we were all gone.

William and Lucy spent their days hunched over my dad's old desk coming up with ways to expand our farm to better accommodate our growing community.

Zeke and John helped with whatever needed to be done around the farm as far as manual labor went. Whether it was tanning animal hides, sharpening bones to be weapons or utensils, hauling hay to the animals, chopping wood, or cleaning the animal stalls they were willing to do it. Currently they were working outside the gates with Tyrese and Rick to cut some trees down for our upcoming buildings.

Susan, Luke, and Molly fell into step with the other kids on the farm with their chores and schooling.

Samantha, who was a nurse before the turn, spent her days learning Dakota's healing methods and medicines. She was often found with her head stuck in one of the home remedy books we had scored on one of our runs.

Elliot who had joined the army about eight months before the turn felt most comfortable helping protect the farm. So he split his time working with Tyrese, Rick, and Abraham learning the routine of manning the walls as well as pitching in around the farm when needed.

Taylor, who was in culinary school before the turn, helped Patricia and Lori in the kitchen.

John, or Big John as he was often called since there were 2 Johns on our farm now, who had been between jobs when jobs became obsolete and useless, just jumped in wherever he was needed. He explained that he had bounced between jobs since he was 15 years old, doing everything from washing dishes to framing houses to working on the road crews of Atlanta to washing laundry for the hospital.

I had just about made it to where Daryl and Abraham was were pulling a hand saw back and forth across a log to cut the end of it off when I heard the gates creak open. I stopped where I was at and watched as Romper and Jack came trotting through the gates pulling the little trailer with several cut down trees on it. It was their turn to work today since Stella and Nellie had done the work yesterday. I smiled at Macey who was leading the horses through the gates. Nobody really liked the young girl to be working outside the gates but she had been adamant that she go with 'her' horses since she was the one taking care of them. Plus, Daryl and Kayden had spent a few days teaching her some moves in case a walker came at her. "Hey Miss Beth." Macey called from between the two horses as she led them towards the area that had been turned into a lumber mill.

"Hi sweetheart. They being good for you?" I asked her as I fell into step next to Stella.

She laughed. "Always. Romper was a little antsy when we first hooked the trailer to them this morning but I think Jack being right next to him helped calm him down pretty quickly." She said as she guided the horses to a stop so the guys could unload the trailer. "They are loving the fresh grass out there though."

"Oh I bet! Nellie always loved to graze on the fresh grass whenever I took her for rides." I said as I rubbed Jack's nose. "I miss the freedom of being able to just hop on her and go for a run through the woods but it's just too dangerous these days."

Macey nodded in agreement. This was the first time she had really been outside the safety of our walls since she and her sisters and brother came to live on the farm. "I'm surprised the noise hasn't brought any walkers to the farm."

"Me too but we all need to be extra careful just in case it does." I told her as I helped her unhitch the horses from the loaded trailer and guide them to the empty one. "You just remember your training while you're out there, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." She called to me as she led the horses back towards the gates so she could go get another load of logs.

While I was watching the horses follow Macey obediently someone slid a hand over my eyes and another on my hip. I knew instantly who it was. The calluses on his fingers from pulling the string of his bow gave him away. "Guess who?" He whispered into my ear softly.

I smiled beneath his fingers. "It can only be one with my heart fluttering the way it is while my panties are suddenly drenched." I teased playfully.

Daryl gasped before spinning me around so quickly I had to brace myself against his body to keep my balance. "Lucky! What if it'd been someb'dy else?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as both of his hands settled onto my slender hips.

Shaking my head I slid my hand down his arm until I grasped his hand in mine, pulling it up between us where I flipped it over so we could see his palm. "See these?" I asked him softly as I traced the bumps on his hands gently. At his nod I continued. "These calluses are from your crossbow and I know what they feel like against my skin. They give you away, Daryl."

"Oh." He said as he gripped my hands, tugging them around his body until we were flush against one another. "Kiss me, woman. I gotta get back ta work."

Smiling up at him I stood on my tiptoes to press my lips against his.

That evening at dinner Baylee and Nathan stood up with their hands clasped tightly together. "We'd like to make a few announcements." Bayle said softly as she smiled up at Nathan.

I leaned my head on Daryl's shoulder as I watched the once shy and terrified girl stand tall and proud next to the man that had brought her out of her shell. "Ya' okay?" Daryl whispered against my hair.

"Yeah, just happy for them." I whispered back as I slid my hand onto his knee.

Nathan wrapped an arm around Baylee's shoulders, pulling her against his side. "Ian and Jonah are going to become a big brother and an uncle in about six months." Nathan said as he slid his other hand onto Baylee's stomach. "And we would like to have a small ceremony in a few weeks to get married. Mr. Hershel, would you say a few words to us at the ceremony?" Nathan asked my father nervously.

I watched as my dad placed his palm flat against his chest and nodded. "It would be my pleasure to bless y'all's marriage, son. Congratulations."

"Thank you." Baylee said as tears pooled in her eyes. "Your approval means the world to me. To us."

My dad nodded with a smile on his face.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Walking into mine and Daryl's house with Trouble trotting beside me I smiled as I saw him sitting at the table with my most recent notebook in front of him with a pen in hand scrawling steadily across the page. We had both been so busy today with me stuck in the gardens and him our checking the traps and tracking a deer that we had barely saw each other. This had become a regular occurrence lately, which was normal since it was spring time, which made us really cherish our evenings and nights together.

"Whatcha doin' there, handsome?" I asked as I tugged my boots off by the front door to keep from tracking the garden dirt into our house. We had brooms made from the corn husks but sweeping the floors was so far down on my list of things to do during the day it wasn't even funny.

"Haven't wrote anythin' in this one." He said as he continued to scrawl along the paper. Ever since that first love note he had written in my notebook so long ago he had made it a habit to write at least one note in each book.

I smiled at his back as I picked up my current book off our end table to read while I still had a bit of daylight to do so. "What spurred this note? Baylee and Nathan getting married tomorrow?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back in the chair with a groan. "Don't know. Just felt like it was time."

"Mhmm." I mumbled as I began reading my book as Trouble settled on the floor in front of my chair with a grunt of satisfaction. "Whatever the reason I will take one of your love notes any day of the week, month, or year." I told him as I read about different homesteading techniques. It was one of the books that Riverside had given us on our last trade day. It was a good book because it gave me ideas on how to use things in different ways though some of the things in the book we had already figured out. With over 40 adults on the farm everybody had something new to offer as far as ideas went.

I got so engrossed in my books that I jumped when Daryl placed a hand on my shoulder. "Jus' me." He whispered as he slid my notebook into my lap. "Gonna go talk wit' Rick. Be back inna bit. Love ya, Lucky." He told me as he bent down to press a kiss to the top of my head.

"I love you too." I told him as I smiled up at him. "Y'all's bromance is kinda cute."

Daryl groaned and shook his head as he walked out the door with Trouble trotting along after him.

Closing the book on homesteading I opened the notebook to Daryl's love note and couldn't help but smile as his scrawl that filled up nearly the entire page.

 _Lucky,_

 _Seeing your dad get excited over officiating Nathan and Baylee's wedding makes me think that I short changed him and you by not having a ceremony of our own. I know that we had Hershel's approval but I can't help but feel bad for denying him the act of walking you down an aisle and giving you to me and saying a few words to bless our union in front of everybody. Like you've said before, this world isn't kind on old traditions but you have taught me we should fight for what we want and make it possible to actually live again. Lucky, you are the only reason I keep going everyday and fight to make this world one that you and Trouble can enjoy living in._

 _I never seen myself as being a boyfriend, committed man, or husband but you have shown me that I can be all of those things and dream of being a father too. Never in my life did I think I would want something that came from my DNA but you have reminded me that my mother makes up half of me so I would like to think that I would pass on that part of me into another tiny human being. You make me have these thoughts, Lucky. Only you could do this to me. For me. With me._

 _You are the absolute love of my life and I will spend every day of the rest of our lives proving that to you, Trouble, and any siblings she may have. But if that damn dog, Drew, don't stop sniffing of her private areas we are going to have a serious problem. My girl is not ready to be a momma yet and I'm still too young to be a grandpa to a litter of wild puppies._

 _I love you more than I ever thought possible, Lucky._

 _Anniversaries are another thing I never thought I would have to worry about but if I'm not mistaken ours is coming up soon, right?_

I couldn't help but smile as I closed the notebook and laid it to rest on my bent legs. Daryl was always so eloquent with his written words, but nobody knew that but me and we both intended to keep it that way. It was our little secret. But he was correct, it was almost time for our one-year anniversary. But he was wrong in his feelings that he short changed me or my father by not having a ceremony to announce our marriage. Having children was a sore subject for me because I had been told years before the world went to crap that it would be difficult for me to conceive a baby on my own without the assistance of medication due to me only having one ovary. It's not that I didn't want to have children with Daryl, quite the opposite actually, I was just terrified that it may never happen and he would be disappointed in me. I had dreamed about holding a precious baby that was half of me and half of him but I feared it may never happen.

Grabbing my pen off the side table I flipped the notebook back open to write my entry for the night while I waited on Daryl and Trouble to return so we could head to bed.

"Do you regret not having a ceremony?" Maggie asked me as we stood between Daryl and Glenn watching the wedding ceremony of Baylee and Nathan take place in our front yard as the sun began slowly dipping behind the trees that surrounded our farm.

Leaning my head against Daryl's arm I looked over at my sister. "Not at all. It wasn't what either of us wanted." I told her softly as Kayden handed his sisters hand to Nathan as they stood in front of my father who was wearing a suit that he used to wear to church on Sundays. "Do you have regrets?" I asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. We had a talk with Daddy before we made our announcement at dinner and he blessed our marriage in private so that was good enough for us. Though a private honeymoon getaway would have been nice."

I had to stifle my laughter in Daryl's arm at her comment. Daryl's body was shaking with his effort to keep his laughter silent. We were planning to escape to the community hunting cabin we had found all those months ago for our anniversary that was next month. Since that day we had made it a point to check in on the cabin occasionally on our hunts to make sure it was still standing. We had said that if something was to ever happen to the farm that is where we would go if we were separated.

Baylee looked beautiful in her wedding dress that Carol, Rosita, Michonne, and Patricia had helped her pick out at the local bridal shop in town. Nathan looked handsome in his suit that Baylee had picked up for him while she had been in town picking out her dress. Martha and Lindsey had spent hours stringing flowers onto the corn husk ropes and hanging them from the oak tree limbs. Mika, Emily, Cady, and I had spent what seemed like hours picking all the flowers for the ceremony while leaving enough to protect our garden crops. My dad stood proud and tall at the base of the tree in his best Sunday suit that had just been taking up space in his closet until today.

"You may now kiss your bride." My dad said as he closed the bible he had been holding. We all clapped and whistled and cheered as Nathan pulled Baylee into a sweet kiss.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"Harder. Please." I begged breathlessly as I clutched the sheets tightly in my fists. Daryl and I were testing out the sturdiness of the cabin. It was our anniversary getaway and we had been holed up in this cabin for eight days now and were enjoying every single second of it. Our family knew where we were and knew how to find us if they needed us. But they also knew that we needed this time to ourselves. "Daryl…right there." I moaned as he hit that spot deep inside me that caused that spring to coil tight once again.

He tightened his grip on my hips, pulling me into his deep thrusts. "Come on, Lucky, another one. Give it to me." Daryl begged me as he ground his hips tightly against mine.

I moaned loudly and laid my chest against the bed sheets because my arms were too weak to hold me up anymore. "It's too much." I panted with a groan all while I felt that coil tightening inside my lower abdomen. "Gonna kill me."

Daryl chuckled as he slid his hands up my back and around my body, tugging me up so that we were both kneeling on the bed with my back pressed against his chest. One of his arms was wrapped around my chest with his palm cupping a breast while his other arm slid over my hip to the curls between my legs searching for the throbbing nub there that he knew would send me over the cliff again. "I gotcha. We not dying today." He said with a grunt as his fingers found what he was looking for. With a pinch of my nipple and a rub of my throbbing clit I was sent over the mountain top with a loud yell that I couldn't have contained if I wanted to. "That's it, Lucky, give it all to me." He ground out as he pulled from my body while his finger continued to rub at me furiously causing my orgasm to spray all over the bed. "Oh yeah." He moaned as he slipped back inside my throbbing wetness.

"What was that?" I panted as my body twitched as he thrust slow and deep inside me, causing the tightness to build once again. I was almost certain I was going to die from heart failure if I had another orgasm but he was relentless in his quest to prove that he still had the stamina of a young guy.

Daryl chuckled into the bend of my neck. "That, baby, is squirtin'. Ya gonna do it again?" He asked as his fingers continued to work at my body.

I shook my head as I leaned it back against his shoulder. "I can't. No more." I begged all while I slid my hands over his. I wasn't sure if I wanted to help him or stop him.

"Yeah ya can. One more and we're done. Promise." He told me as he pressed against my throbbing nub hard. "One more. Give it ta' me."

Shaking my head against his shoulder I felt the pressure building within me. "Oh God." I moaned as he suddenly pulled from my body allowing me to spray my release once again all over the bed. At this rate we were going to be sleeping on the floor with Trouble because the bed was going to be too wet to sleep on. I collapsed onto the bed in a boneless heap of quivering flesh while Daryl laid down on my back, slipping back inside me.

"Just me, Lucky, no God." He ground out against my ear as he began moving within my body once again, searching for his climax. "So good." He moaned out as he straddled my hips while resting his forehead between my shoulder blades. A few strokes later Daryl and I both were groaning through our orgasms before he collapsed breathlessly next to me. "Told ya I still had it in me." He muttered as he stretched out next to me.

Rolling my head over I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I never doubted your sexual stamina but your back is going to be killing you later." I teased him playfully as I slung a leg over his hips.

"It's worth it." He panted as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "We gotta get back today."

I groaned as I buried my face in his chest. "I don't wanna. Why can't we just live here in the cabin?" I asked though I knew the reasons why. This little getaway had been fun but we each had important roles at the farm that were vital to everybody surviving the winter months.

"I don't think this cabin's big enough for your sister, Shawn, Glenn, Rick, Michonne, and Carl too." He said playfully.

His comment sent me into a fit of giggles as I snuggled into his warm body.

We lay there content to just be together until Trouble whined from the other side of the room. "What's wrong, girl?" Daryl asked as he climbed from the bed, tugging his jeans on sans underwear.

I quickly climbed from the bed at Trouble's second whine, tugging my jeans and Daryl's shirt before stomping my feet into my boots. "What is it?" I asked Daryl as I walked to the window of the cabin that we had draped dark pillowcases over to obscure the light of the lantern and candle we had brought with us.

Looking out the window I didn't see any walkers or any living soul either. Daryl laughed as he opened the front door. "It's your sister and Rick." He said as he nodded to the two figures walking towards the cabin. "Guess it's time for us to get home."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It was that time again. Time to make a run. Our final one hopefully. The new buildings were finished except for the furnishings inside. We were making a run to Roswell, which according to Josh, had all of the blacksmithing equipment he would need to make our new shop operational. On our way we would search for the list of items that Martha had given us for the home goods shop and Dakota and Sam had compiled for the clinic. On top of the very specific items we would be scavenging for clothes, shoes, blankets, pillows, and other useful things on the way there and back. It was going to be a massive run and we were leaving the farm fairly vulnerable with most of our major players going on the run. We had paired up into groups of three and we had seven groups going which meant we had 28 people going on the run. In one vehicle would be me, Daryl, and Taylor; second vehicle would be Maggie, Glenn, and Elliot; third vehicle would be Kayden, Carol, and Jesus; fourth vehicle would consist of T-Dogg, Tara, and Aaron; fifth vehicle would be Rick, Michonne, and Josh; sixth vehicle would be Rosita, Abraham, and Andrew; seventh vehicle would be Sasha, Tyrese, and Karen.

"We'll be fine, Bethie." My dad reassured me as he pulled me into a hug the morning we were set to leave for an unknown amount of time. Roswell was north of Atlanta which we wanted to avoid at all costs and we planned to stop in several of the little towns along the way to get whatever we could grab.

I nodded as I placed my backpack on top of the box of canned meals Patricia and Lori had been preparing for the past week since the topic of the run became more relevant. "I know, Daddy, I'm just anxious for some reason. We'll be back in less than a week hopefully because we have the trade day with Riverside coming up soon."

"Okay. Just be safe and keep your eyes open at all times. We'll keep this place running while y'all are gone." He whispered as he pulled me in for a tight hug. "I love you, Bethie. Just come back to us in one piece, alright?"

I nodded against his chest as I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist for a quick squeeze. "I love you too, Daddy."

After a few calming minutes in my Dad's arms I pulled away, grabbed the box of meals, and headed for the line of vehicles waiting for all of us to load up and get on the road. The sun was just starting to peak over the top of the trees which meant it was time to hit the road. "Lucky, ya 'bout ready?" Daryl asked as I tossed my backpack into the front seat of the truck we were driving next to my compound bow.

"Yeah. You?" I asked as I turned around to face him.

He nodded as he reached out to tuck a strand of my long blonde hair behind my ear. "Guess so."

An hour later we were scavenging what was left of a shopping center in Palmetto for whatever supplies we could find. There was a candle making shop there which is what made us stop in the first place to see if we could find some of the stuff that was on Martha's list. "Like glue, Lucky." Daryl reminded me as we started to climb from the truck that we left parked on the street so we could make a quick getaway if needed.

"Taylor, stay close and keep your eyes open. We don't want anything happening to you." I told him as we met Daryl at the front of the truck.

Since the town was fairly small the shopping center was fairly small too. The shopping center consisted of the candle making store, a candy and coffee shop, a consignment shop, a pawn shop, and a tobacco store. Our group used hand signals to divide the shops up. While most would automatically overlook the candy and coffee shop we knew that we may find some useful things in there such as cocoa powder, actual coffee grounds, coffee filters, and such. Same with the tobacco shop. Which is where we were headed. Daryl's habit of smoking had slowed due to the lack of resources but he still liked the occasional cigarette whenever we found some on a run. Daryl nodded for me to go ahead and knock on the window while the rest of our friends spread between the other store fronts doing the same thing. Rick's group and Maggie's paired up at the consignment shop while Abraham and Tyrese's paired up at the pawn shop while T-Dogg's took the coffee and candy shop and Carol's took the candle making shop.

We snagged those annoying plastic shopping bags and began filling them up with anything useful we came across. "There's a bathroom back here." I called out to Daryl as I spotted the 'Employee's Only' sign taped to the door.

"Careful." Daryl reminded me as he nodded for me to go ahead.

We were in and out of the shopping center in a little over an hour. Our group stuffed the bags we had filled into the back of the SUV that Rick was driving before hitting the road again. Our next move was to find a secluded house to secure for the night and scavenge the local neighborhoods for whatever we could find. As soon as we were in the truck Daryl lit up one of the cigarettes that he had scavenged from the tobacco store. "Ohhhh." He breathed out as he let a stream of smoke out the open window.

I shook my head as I chuckled at his reaction. "You know, if Maggie smells that smoke on you she's going to rip you a new one." I told him because ever since she had gotten pregnant with our nephew Daryl's smoking habits had become a big point of contention between them.

"Ya gonna tattle?" Daryl asked as he took another drag off the cigarette.

Shrugging my shoulders I turned to look out the window and saw a few straggling walkers fall to the ground via Michonne's katana out the window of their SUV. "Don't think I'll have to because I think she's pregnant again. And you know how her nose was last time."

"Ya think?" He asked as he tossed the cigarette butt out the window.

Taylor coughed from the backseat reminding us of his presence. "I caught her throwing up a few days ago while I was on watch."

I smiled over at Daryl and nodded. "She practically ran out of the house the other day when Patricia was making that pumpkin bread. And refused to come back for several hours. I think she's not ready to admit it yet since Shawn isn't a year old yet."

"What's she doin' out here then?" Daryl growled lowly as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Placing a hand on his flexing forearm I attempted to soothe his ruffled feathers. "Probably because she knows this is going to be the last time she ever leaves the farm except on trade days. Before you guys came to the farm Maggie is the one who made the runs into town to get supplies. Maybe this is her way of saying to that final goodbye to who she used to be."

"Hmph." Daryl grunted as he followed the vehicles slowly down the highway that was littered with broken down vehicles that we didn't even bother to stop and look through.

We continued on until Rick found what he must have considered a good holing up spot.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"Stop, Lucky." Daryl whispered as he grabbed my elbow just as I was about to take a step forward. Looking around with wide eyes I tried to see what he saw and finally I saw the sun glinting off the piece of silver wire stretched across the entrance to the hallway.

Looking up at him with wide eyes I whispered what he was hopefully thinking. "People are living here."

He nodded.

Smiling at him I stood up straight. "We're not here to hurt you. But if you will come out so I can talk to you we may be able to help you." I called out loudly before gripping the walkie talkie on my hip. "Guys, stop what you're doing. People live here."

A bunch of 'Really's?' and 'Okay's' came back through the tiny speaker. "Our group means you absolutely no harm so please come out and speak to me for a moment. Then we will all leave you in peace if that is what you wish." I called out loudly.

Daryl and Taylor both stood on either side of me with their weapons of choice held tightly in their grips. "Why don't we just leave?" Taylor asked softly.

I shook my head. "Because every life matters and we may be able to help these people and they may be able to help us or maybe they need a place to live. Can't figure that out without actually talking to people." I explained to him as we waited patiently for someone to be brave enough to come out of their hiding hole.

"Got someone." Michonne announced over her walkie. "Says go back out to the front gate and they'll talk."

"Okay." I said back before motioning to the guys to lets go. "On our way."

This particular storage facility had both indoor and outdoor storage buildings but they were all behind one massive wrought iron gate that had obviously held up so far. Making our way back out of the indoor storage area I spotted the rest of our group standing at ease with a young woman that I didn't recognize as well as a man that stood next to her. Nobody looked to be on high alert which made me breathe a little easier and allowed Daryl to not hold his crossbow so tightly. "Don't know these folks, Lucky. Be smart, please." Daryl mumbled as the three of us made our way over to join our friends and family.

"Promise." I whispered to Daryl as Rick cleared his throat and nodded in our direction causing the two unknown folks to turn and look at us. "Hey guys. I know we've invaded your home but I want to reassure you that we mean you absolutely no harm." I told them as we came to a stop a few feet from them. "My name is Beth, this is my husband Daryl, and our good friend Taylor." I said pointing to the big guys standing on either side of me.

The young woman smiled at me as she extended her hand towards me. "Nice to meet you, Beth, Daryl, and Taylor. I'm Isabella or Bella and this handsome thing is my husband, Edward."

"Pleasure to meet you guys too. Are you guys just holing up here for the winter or do you live here?" I asked looking around at the place that other than the alarms set low to the ground the place looked uninhabited.

Bella laughed as she pointed upwards. "We have lived here since about three months after the turn when we were run out of our hometown by the dead. Our garden, solar panels, and water barrels are all located on the roofs."

Following her finger I spotted what looked like large blue barrels lining nearly the whole length of the side of the building. "That's pretty cool. Do you have children here too?" I ask because it is important to know that the children we have at the farm will have a possibility of finding a companion and love when they grow up.

Edward stepped forward then. "Why do you want to know about children?" He asked me firmly as he slid an arm over his wife's shoulders, pulling her into his side.

Once I explained my reasoning for my question Bella placed a hand on her husbands arm and nodded at me. "We have eight children here varying in ages from thirteen years old to two months old. Our daughter is five years old, Ren."

I smiled at her as I pointed to our group of friends and family still standing behind them talking amongst themselves. "Several people in our community have children and are expecting currently. We have eighteen kids from seventeen years old to my nephew who will be a year old this winter. Several are pregnant also." I told her because while Daryl had been the one to inform me of Maggie's being pregnant, I also knew of one more that thought she was pregnant. "How do you keep warm during the coldest days?" I asked curiously.

"A couple of our men go our and tear down buildings for lumber to feed our stoves. We've burned everything from furniture to dog food to corn cobs." Edward said with a shake of his head. "With concrete floors, metal walls, and not much insulation it takes a lot to heat the big building up."

Michonne smiled at me over everybody's head because she knew where this was going. Returning her smile I faced Bella and Edward with a proposition on the tip of my tongue. "Well, how about we sit down and see what we can come up with to help each other out. Do you guys have an abundance of anything here?"

Edward groaned and nodded. "Corn. We've got a scientist here that has been working on making fuel from what we don't eat. We use it in our lanterns for light at night."

"I thought you said you had solar panels?" I questioned as a door to the right of us opened with a little girl rushing through it, making a beeline for Edward.

"Ren! What are you doing out here? We told you to stay put with Rosie and Nana." Edward scolded the child as she ran into his legs with her arms held high, motioning for him to pick her up, which he did.

She shrugged her shoulders as she settled on her dad's hip. "I snuck out." She said clearly with a twinkle in her eyes.

Bella laughed as she shook her head. "This is our little girl, Ren. She keeps us on our toes and gives us a reason to keep pushing forward day after day."

"She's adorable." I told them both. "Why are you using corn fuel if you have solar panels?" I asked, directing the conversation back to what we were talking about before the little girl burst through the door.

"We use the solar panels to run the freezers and refrigerators and to supply electricity to the hospital wing." Edward explained with a nod of his head.

The conversation continued and when we left there that night we were all impressed with what they had managed to accomplish in what seemed like a concrete jungle to most of us that had lived on the farm for so long. We traded some of the clothes we had gotten from the consignment shop, candy, and coffee for some of their corn fuel. "That turned out good. I hope they will show up for the trade day. Their corn fuel could be very valuable to all of our communities. We could use it in our tractors for the big fields and Riverside could use it for their boats." I rambled as Daryl drove us to our proposed safe house for the night, a few miles from Safety Storage.

"How did you know they were good people?" Taylor asked from beside me.

I shrugged as I leaned against Daryl's shoulder, tired from the long day of scavenging and working out some kind of deal with the inhabitants of the storage facility. "Instinct, maybe?"

"Has your instinct ever led you wrong?" He questioned. I expected some of these questions because this was his first time on a run with us. He wasn't used to how things worked with our group.

Looking over at him I shrugged my shoulders. "Not really but I think my instincts now are different than they were when I was a naïve high school church going girl. But my momma and daddy taught me to never judge a book by its cover and to give everybody I encounter a chance. And that I carry with me every time we leave the safety of our walls."

"How can you not be jaded or leery considering the world we live in today? We have no law, no cops to call when times get tough, people are just doing whatever they want with no consequences."

"I'm one of the lucky ones that hasn't seen too much tragedy because of the safety of the farm. I was born and raised on that farm and when Rick and Daryl came with their group they made it safe for us all to stay there. I'm not unaware of the dangers of the world but if we thought every person we encounter has a dangerous agenda then there would be no growth in this new world we live in. There would be no future beyond our generation. That's no way to live." I told him firmly. "Don't you think we've all lost enough in this world?" I whispered because I knew he had lost his sister, little Susan's mother, as well as other friends and family along the way.

He nodded but otherwise remained silent. We all did until we pulled up to the safe house to camp out for the night before moving on to the next leg of our trip. Tomorrow we would hit the blacksmith shop and begin our trek back home.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"This is our last run. Forever. The only time we will ever leave the farm is on trade days." I told my sister firmly as I held her tightly in a hug. The last ten minutes had been the most tense of my entire life as I watched my sister dangle from a rope because the glass ceiling beneath her feet had given way as we all carried items from the cultural museum we had run across on our way home. In the basement of the museum was a zoo of walkers that were reaching and pulling on my sisters legs while Daryl, Rick, and Abraham had struggled to pull her back up through the hole she had fallen through. They had to be careful because the glass was jagged and was causing the rope to fray.

I felt her nod against my shoulder while Glenn continued to thank Rick and Abraham, and Daryl for saving Maggie's life. "Agreed. My babies deserve to have both parents stay safe."

"Babies? Are you really pregnant?" I asked as I pulled back a little so I could look at her face.

She smiled and nodded as tears slid down her cheeks. "Yeah, Little Shawn is going to be a big brother in about seven months."

Pulling her back into a tight hug I smiled into her shoulder. "Congratulations. Let's get this shit loaded up so we can get all of us back to the farm. I'm sure Shawn has missed his mommy while we been gone."

Maggie giggled and nodded as she pulled away from me. "Love you, sissy."

"Love you too, sissy." I told her as I watched Glenn pull her into a tight hug but not before placing his hand on her stomach lovingly.

Daryl pulled me into a brief hug before we all started grabbing things to head back out to our vehicles so we could finish the last little trek home. We should make it there by nightfall. "Love ya, Lucky. Let's go." He gruffed as he grabbed the bucket of tools and weapons he had gathered from the exhibits. We were going to use the ancient artifacts as a guide to making new ones.

"Like glue." I told him as I grabbed my haul which included a variety of things from ancient journals to moccasin templates to woven baskets.

We walked out of the museum to Taylor, Kayden, Tyrese, and Tara standing on the steps where they were keeping watch while the rest of us scoured the museum to gather whatever we thought would be useful to our farm or the Riverside community or the Safe Storage community. "Ya'll good? We heard screaming." Tara asked as she took some of the things from my hands and followed me down the steps.

"Maggie fell through the glass floor but she's okay now." I told her as we placed our haul into the trunk of the car we had picked up last night because all of ours was full of stuff we had scavenged on our run. "We're all just ready to get our stuff loaded up so we can go home."

Tara nodded as she began grabbing things from my arms to place in the trunk. "I'm glad she's okay. We all wanted to come in and help but I knew we needed to keep watch outside. Are we going to check anymore buildings?"

I shook my head as Michonne joined us at the trunk of the car to place her small items inside. "Hell no. This one was enough to do us all in. We're heading straight home." She told Tara while I nodded in agreement.

"Okay."

We made quick work of the museum items and hit the road with our minds focused on getting home as quick as we could. Our trip had been designed to make a big circle around Atlanta with home being our starting and ending point. "Look what I found ya, Lucky." Daryl told me as he pointed to the closed cardboard box sitting in the seat between us.

"This whole box is for me?" I whispered as I pulled on the flaps so I could see what my wonderful husband had thought to get for me. At his quick nod and smirk I yanked the flaps open and gasped at what I saw inside. "Oh Daryl." I whispered as I gazed down at the small stuffed wolf pup and large stack of notebooks, pens, and pencils. "This is amazing." I told him as I leaned over the box to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you so much."

"What is it?" Taylor asked from the backseat.

Lifting the stuffed wolf from the box I showed it to him with a bright smile on my face. "It's what Trouble looked like when she was just a baby."

"You got that excited over a stuffed toy?" He asked with a shake of his head.

"And notebooks!" I chirped as I settled back into my seat. "Lots of notebooks."

Taylor looked at me in disbelief. "Notebooks?"

"Notebooks are important to me and he knows that so he always tries to find some on our runs so that I won't run out anytime soon. I keep a journal not only of the gardens and farm but also of our lives. This way our future generations can have something to look back on if they hit a snag and we're not around to figure it out for them." I explained as I held the stuffed pup in my arms.

"That makes sense. I heard you tell Tara that this was going to be the last run. Is that true?" Taylor asked softly.

Daryl and I both nodded. "We can't stop any of you from making runs but for our family it will be the last one we ever go on. The only runs we will go on is trade days from now on."

"Why? Is it because Maggie fell through the floor?"

I turned around in my seat to look at him while Daryl drove us down the road leading our convoy home. "We've lost enough people and don't want to lose anymore. My sister could have died, leaving behind a precious baby boy, a wonderful man that loves her, our father who has lost enough already, and me. Nothing we find out here is worth that. Anything we need can be made or grown on the farm or gathered on trade days. Do you want to take a chance of not going back to your brother and niece?" I asked him softly before turning back around in my seat.

"I understand what you're saying but do you really think we'll be able to survive without making runs? What about clothes? Blankets? Beds? Shoes?"

Shaking my head I glanced over my shoulder at him. "We can make all of that stuff at our communities. People survived before running to the store became a necessity. They survived decades without having stores on every corner to run to for the simplest things. With all of the people we have in the three communities we can make everything any of us needs. Food. Soaps. Clothes. Shoes. Pillows. Blankets. Furniture. Weapons. Tools. Everything."

"Okay. I will trust you on this one. Honestly, I never thought I would see the day where stealing things wasn't a way to survive in this new world." Taylor said as he looked thoughtfully out the window. "I also never thought I would see the day where my culinary skills were put to use again. It's nice to feel safe and at home without waiting for the other shoe to drop. Susan is making friends again too, which John and I never thought we'd see again."

I smiled at him before turning back around in my seat. "That is what all of us want from this life nowadays. To feel safe, at home, and have our kids be able to be kids."

"Are you guys ever going to have kids?" Taylor asked after a few miles of silence.

With a heavy sigh I told him the truth. "It's not that we don't want kids of our own but I was told before the world went to crap that it would be almost impossible for me to conceive a child of my own. If it's meant to be it'll be. We'll have fun practicing our baby making skills in the mean time and being the best aunt and uncle we can be."

"I'm so sorry. My sister, Maleah, had Susan at seventeen years old but that baby became her whole world. She was determined to not let the stigma that most teen moms have hold her back from her dreams. We all pitched in to help her when Susan's biological dad bailed. She was just a few months from graduating college when the world began getting it's revenge." Taylor shared solemnly.

Reaching a hand back to grasp his I gave it a gentle squeeze to let him know that I knew what he was feeling. "Just be sure to remind Susan of her mother's determination and the love she had for her. It's important for a kid to know that as she gets older. Maggie's mom passed away when she was just a few years old but she never doubted that her mother loved her. Even when our dad married my mom, Maggie was still reassured that her mother loved her and my mom wasn't trying to replace her in Maggie's memories or life. It was important for her to know that and it made the bond between my mom and Maggie a little stronger."

"It's so hard to talk about Maleah though. Knowing that she's gone and we're all still here raising her daughter that she loved so much and sacrificed so much for. And Jacob, Maleah's husband and Susan's adoptive father, was a godsend for my sister and niece. Maleah met him in college and he immediately accepted Susan as if she was just an extension of my sister and not something to deal with. As much as we want to keep their memories alive for Susan it's so hard knowing the way they died. It was so brutal." Taylor said as he squeezed my hand once before pulling it away to wipe at the tears slipping down his cheeks.

"Just try. It's hard to talk about my mom and brother too but time is making it a little easier. And my nephew deserve to know the great people that they were." I told him before turning to face the front of the truck, pulling my guitar from where it rested against the seat. "How about a song?" I asked them softly.

Daryl simply smiled as he focused on the empty highway ahead of while Taylor nodded softly.

I began strumming the strings to the tune of Vince Gill's 'Go Rest High on that Mountain'.

 _I know your life_

 _On earth was troubled_

 _And only you could know the pain._

 _You weren't afraid to face the devil,_

 _You were no stranger to the rain._

 _Go rest high on that mountain_

 _Son, your work on earth is done._

 _Go to heaven a-shoutin'_

 _Love for the Father and the Son._

 _Oh, how we cried the day you left us_

 _We gathered round your grave to grieve._

 _I wish I could see the angels faces_

 _When they hear your sweet voice sing._

 _Go rest high on that mountain_

 _Son, your work on earth is done._

 _Go to heaven a-shoutin'_

 _Love for the Father and the Son._

Strumming the last of the tune I let that drift into silence in the truck as the song was a powerful one.

~*~LUCKY~*~

We weren't back on the farm but a little more than a week when Trade Day came around which meant we were preparing to leave again. "Why do you have to go, Bethy?" Maggie asked as I grabbed a crate of pasta to carry to the truck.

"I want to go see Sarah for one. Plus, we have the Safe Storage guys coming with us and it's my job to introduce them to Sarah and Timothy." I explained as I made my way to the truck where Daryl and Abraham were hefting the pillowcases of flour and cornmeal into the back.

Maggie huffed in annoyance, which she has been doing a lot of since we got back to the farm eight days ago. "But you promised you wouldn't leave again. Yet, here you are. Preparing to leave again."

Shaking my head I handed the crate over to Rick before turning to face my sister. "I never promised to leave again. I promised no more runs. This isn't a run, Maggie. This is ensuring that our communities continue to thrive. Trade is an essential part of rebuilding the world we once knew." I explained once again. "Don't make this harder than it has to be, Mags. We'll be back by nightfall."

"I just worry about you, is all. You're my sister and my babies need to have their aunt Bethy around for years to come so she can tell them embarrassing stories about me." Maggie said as she pulled me into a tight hug.

Placating her and her out of control pregnancy hormones I returned her hug but managed to catch Glenn's eye behind her back. "Stop talking about me like I'm already gone, Maggie. We'll be back by nightfall."

"Maggie, come on. Let Beth go so she can finish getting the last of the crates." Glenn said as he pried his wife off of me.

"I love you, Maggie, but you are driving me insane." I told her as I pressed a kiss to her cheek before scurrying away quickly.

This trade day was going to be a bit tricky because without forewarning Sarah and Timothy about the Safe Storage leaders joining us we had no idea how they would react to newcomers joining us at the park. "Lucky, ya ready?" Daryl asked as I was placing the container of doggie kibble into my pack since we were taking Trouble with us this time around.

"Yep. Has Trouble used the bathroom yet?" I asked him becasue last time I was outside she was making her rounds from platform to platforms checking in on the people that were on watch.

Daryl shrugged. "Don't know. She's with Carl 'n Emily in the barn last I seen 'er."

Shaking my head I smiled at him. "Hopefully she has cause we ain't stopping until we get to the park." He told me as he grabbed my pack, grabbed my hand, and tugged me out of the house.

"What's the rush?" I asked between giggles as he tugged me out of the kitchen door onto the dark porch that was empty considering the early hour.

He pushed me up agaisnt the house as my pack made a dull thud when it landed on the porch boards. Sliding his fingers into the edges of my hair I had yet to braid he tugged my face up to his. "This." He growled just before slicking his lips across mine causing me to groan and press up against him.

"Mmm." I moaned as I slid my fingers under the edge of his flannel shirt and t-shirt seeking the heat of his warm skin. This morning I had been pulled from my sleep by Daryl's tongue wreaking havoc on my body from his place between my legs. But before I could return the favor of an amazing earth shattering orgasm, Michonne had banged on our door announcing they were all waiting on them to help get the truck loaded. "Daryl...we're gonna get interrupted again." I panted as he planted kisses down my neck, nudging my shirt out of the way to get to more skin.

"Don' care." He mumbled as he kissed his way back to my lips. "Goin' crazy."

Sliding my fingers up his sides I gripped his face in my hands, tugging him away from me so I could look at his face. "Daryl, baby, we're about to leave." I whispered to him as I stared him in the eyes for a few minutes before smirking at him. "We'll have to be quick." I growled as I bent down to snag my bag from the floor before tugging him along behind me as I sprinted off the porch. Peeking around the corner of the house I saw that the coast was clear and took off running across the side yard, darting around the garden beds until we reached the garden shed. "In here." I told him as I pulled open the door and stepping inside.

Ten minutes later we were tugging our clothes back into place with satisfied smiles on our faces. "Ya better now?" I asked Daryl as I tucked my t-shirt back into the waistband of my jeans.

Daryl blushed but nodded as he tugged his angel wing vest back on over his flannel shirt and t-shirt. "Yeah."

"Good. Now we really do have to go." I told him as I grabbed my pack off the floor and tugged the door open.


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

"They're here!" I called out excitedly as I watched Sarah, Timothy, and two more guys pull into the parking lot that led to the pavillions where we held our trade day events. I looked over to the picnic table next to the one Daryl and I were sitting on and smiled at Bella and Jasper. Edward had taken Ren to the swings to show her how fun they could be, her laughter could be heard by all of us. "You guy's okay?"

Bella smiled and nodded at me while Jasper simply bobbed his head. "Just nervous. We didn't know what to bring with us or how much. I know you mentioned that you were getting a blacksmith shop going so we brought you several buckets of scrap metal for your blacksmith. But we don't know much about this other community."

Nodding in understanding I waved at Sarah as she climbed from the truck. "This is your first trade day osi Sarah will understand just like we do. Josh will greatly appreciate the scrap metal. He's been worrying about running out with all the things he needs to make. All of the corn fuel you brought this time around can go to Riverside since we are already used to doing without modern farming equipment. They need the fuel for their boats so can they can fish and stuff."

"Maybe Lucas would be willing to come to your community and show you how to make the corn fuel." Jasper suggested quietly as Edward and Ren began making their way back towards us.

"Okay." Bella whispered as Sarah approached the pavillion with a broad smile on her face. I got up from my seat to meet her halfway, eager for her mom like hug.

"Beth, my sweet girl, how are you?" The elderly lady that reminded me so much of my mom it was crazy asked as she wrapped me up in a huge hug.

Giggling because this was the norm now for trade days. "I've been good, Sarah, just tired because we've not had long at home to recoup from a massive run we had to do. I have some people I would like to introduce you to, if you don't mind." I told her as I led her to the pavillion where Bella was now talking softly to Edward and Ren. "Sarah, I would like to introduce you to another community that we happened upon a few weeks ago. Bella, Edward, their daughter Ren, and Jasper." I said pointing to each person as I said their name. Ren, being the innocent child that she was waved excitedly as I said her name and pointed to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you and I'm glad that Beth here talked you into joining these trade days. Has she told you that all of this is because of her?" Sarah asked as she smiled at the new members of our growing community. "How about us ladies go take a walk to the lake and see if there are any ducks out there while the guys rotate the stuff in the trucks?" Sarah suggested pointing to the lake glistening in the bright sun just beyone the small playground where Edward and Ren had been playing earlier.

"They are there! Daddy and I heard them when we was swinging." Ren said as she jumped off the picnic table bench. The little girl was practically bouncing in her excitement to go see the ducks in the lake.

Sarah stood up with a smile. "Well, young lady, have you ever fed ducks before?" She asked as she held a hand out to the little girl.

Looking over at Bella I saw her smile at her little girls excitement. "Is this the first time she's been outside of the safety of your walls?" I asked her as Sarah led the little girl to the back of the truck she came in, digging through a crate in the back.

Bella shook her head. "No but I think it's the first time we haven't been running for our lives outside the walls. She was just a few months old when we saw the first dead person begin walking. We were living at the Kessler Airforce base in Mississippi but we had family in Dallas, Texas so once the base fell we hit the road to find our family."

"Did you ever make it to Dallas?" I asked as Ren came bouncing back with a few flour tortillas in her hand.

"Momma, Miss Sarah said the ducks will like these!" The little girl said shaking the tortillas at Bella. "Can we please go feed them?"

Bella nodded as she climbed from the picnic table. "Of course we can but I need you to stay close and listen at all times. Okay? We promised Nana and Rosie that we were coming home."

"I know. Eyes and ears." Ren said pointint to her eyes and ears before rolling her eyes at her mom. "I'm not a baby, mom. I know the rules."

Bella tugged on the little girls braid causing her to giggle playfully. "You're my baby. So no being a wild child out here, okay?"

"Yes ma'am. Can we go now?" Ren asked, with a bit of a whine in her voice. At Bella's nod the little girl made a beeline for Sarah, grasping her hand tightly in her little one. "Come on, Miss Sarah, momma said we can go feed the ducks!"

Sarah laughed as she and Ren led the way down an old overgrown path that led to the lake while Bella and I took up the rear. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Michonne and Rosita pick up their weapons and begin making their way to the lake with us. "To answer your earlier question, yes, we made it to Dallas. Edward's brother, sister-in-law, and parents were there holed up in Edward's childhood home waiting on us."

"Why didn't y'all stay there?" I asked because it must have taken them a few weeks at least to make the trip from Mississippi to Dallas.

Bella shook her head. "Because we weren't done collecting family yet and being that close to such a large city proved to be dangerous. From Dallas we headed back towards Atlanta to get my sister and brother-in law. When we got to the subdivision they had been living in we found their house boarded up with them holed up inside of it with my niece and nephew, waiting on us."

"How did they all know to stay where they were and wait on you and Edward?" I asked curiously as we watched Sarah kneel down to Ren's level a few feet from the edge of the lake pointing to the ducks swimming several feet out into the lake.

"Satellite phones. With Edward being in the Navy and his father being retired army our entire family had satellite phones. We all managed to get quick calls in before they died." She explained with a smile.

Looking at her with wide eyes and a small smile on my face. "Will they still work now? We've been trying to figure out a way to get communication set up between communities. We never thought about satellite phones. We've tried walkie talkies but we can only get them to work for up to 50 miles."

"We can ask Edward when we get back to the pavilion because I'm not sure. I just know that we still have them in a box back home." She said just as Ren squealed in delight gaining our attention.

~*~LUCKY~*~

There must be something in the water on the farm because it seemed like everybody and everything was either pregnant or just had a baby.

Lindsey and William had welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Shiloh, into their lives a few weeks ago.

My dad and Emily had orchestrated a mating between Jack and Stella so we could have another horse on the farm. They also planned to breed Romper and Nellie when Romper got to the right breeding age, he was too young right now.

Baylee and Nathan were preparing to welcome their baby into world any day now which would make them a family of five.

Sasha and Bob had announced that they were expecting their first baby just a few days after Maggie and Glenn had made their announcement confirming my suspicion. Maggie had shocked us all one morning a few weeks ago when she announced that she was having two babies instead of just one in a few months. After her twin announcement we had all looked to Sasha who sat next to Bob cradling her baby bump to see if she had any shocking news too since they were due just a few days apart. But she had quickly smiled and shook her head saying one was enough for them and they would leave the overachieving to Maggie.

That damn dog that Josh brought with him to the farm knocked up my precious girl and she was about to burst with her litter. Daryl had threatened to neuter Drew when we found out that Trouble was pregnant but all of the kids on the farm seemed excited about a litter of pups coming in a few months.

Michonne and Rick had shocked us all when they announced that they would not be leaving the farm ever again because they were baking a bun in Michonne's oven. Everybody congratulated them, even Lori. Carl and Judith were excited at the news of having a baby brother or sister but they spilled Lori's secret in their excitement. Lori and Andrew were also pregnant.

Sally the pig was just a few days away from giving us another litter of piglets just about the time it was planting time around the farm. Several of the cows were hugely pregnant also.

Other big things have been happening over the winter months on the farm while we were all kept inside for the majority of the time due to the cold weather and unusual amounts of snow and ice that fell over our area. Carl and Enid asked if they could move into the game room since it was now empty. Rick and Lori had immediately said no that they were too young to be moving in together but Carl made a good argument. He said nothing was guaranteed in this life anymore so he wanted to take ever available minute to be with the girl he loved. Nobody could deny him his request after that. Enid and the other girls had a tear filled girls night before Enid moved her belongings to the game room.

Once Enid moved out of the room she had previously shared with the other young girls, Layla was the next to move out. She and Taylor moved into Maggie's old room because apparently they had been seeing each other for a few months secretly.

Then it was Emily's turn to ask if she could move into one of the extra rooms to have space of her own. Kayden, Baylee, Lori, Patricia, and my Dad had discussed it and eventually agreed to the move. Emily got to move into the office area turned bedroom.

I think the biggest thing was that we now had communication set up between all three communities thanks to the satellite phones that Edward and Jasper commandeered and brought to the next trade day along with their haul of goodies. We had a set schedule for using the phones so that the lines stayed free in case something happened and they needed to call for help, every Sunday evening at sunset our phone rang with Sarah's voice on the other end with Bella calling shortly after.

"Lucky? Whatcha doin' girl?" Daryl asked as he climbed onto the roof of the main house where I was laying looking up at the stars that twinkled in the dark night sky above me.

Shrugging my shoulders I rolled my head to look at him. "Just decompressing I guess. Today was a busy day." I whispered as I held a hand out for him to take.

Gripping my hand in his he eased down onto the blanket next to me, our joined hands resting between us. "Ya okay?" He asked as he rolled his head to look at me.

Again I shrugged before turning my gaze back to the stars above us. "I'm okay, just waiting on a shooting star so I can send a wish to my momma and God."

"Wish for what?" He asked as he squeezed my hand to get my attention.

With tears in my eyes I rolled my head once again to look at him. "A baby."

"Oh Lucky." He whispered as he reached up to cradle my cheek in his palm, fingers swiping at the tears that spilled over onto my cheeks. "It'll happen."

I shook my head as I rolled over to press myself against his warm side. Winter had a strong grip on our part of Georgia and wasn't wanting to let go. There was at least eighteen inches of snow blanketing the ground around us, an amount I had never seen before in my entire life. The elders of the farm had said that it was nature's way of righting a wrong, correcting the mistake of allowing the dead to roam the earth with us. It gave us mere humans a fighting chance because the walkers couldn't move in the snow but with some homemade snow shoes we could. Jesus had organized groups to go out every day to kill as many walkers as they could while the weather was giving us the upper hand. The more we killed now, the less we would have to deal with when the snow melted and we lost our advantage. Jesus was also setting up a safety net house in each of the surrounding towns with enough supplies to last for two weeks. Which is the amount of time he intended to go back and check each of the houses for survivors seeking help. He was spray painting the address on a billboard in each of the towns also so that people would know where to go.

A bunch of our strong players were out of commission due to pregnancy but it wasn't slowing Jesus down very much at all. "Maybe it's not meant to be after all. It's just that I never really craved it until everybody around us started having all of these babies. I had accepted that it would probably never happen for me a long time ago but seeing how you are with all the babies and kids around here make me ache to hold one of our own. I really want it, Daryl." I cried into his chest as he wrapped his arms around me tugging me tight against him before snagging the edge of the blanket to tug over us also.

"Then we'll make it happen." He confirmed with a squeeze of his arms. "Let's find us a shootin' star to wish upon then. Maybe two." He said as he readjusted us so we could both see the stars above us.

We didn't find any that night but we didn't give up, we spent every night either on a platform 'keeping watch', on the roof of the main house, or the roof of our own house searching for shooting stars until finally a few weeks later we got lucky and found two in one night to carry our wishes out into the universe. While we were wishing on stars for a baby of our own, Baylee and Nathan welcomed sweet baby Chloe into the world.

I was still getting my cycle when it came time to start transplanting the plants from the greenhouse to the garden beds but we weren't giving up. "It'll happen, Lucky." Daryl whispered as he pressed a kiss to the side of my head as I dressed for the day that morning. My period had came around the day before sending my mood down the drain quickly. Even the excitement of having nine rambunctious puppies running around our house could bring much of a smile to my face.

Nodding I bent over to tug on my boots. "I know. My momma would never let me down but she will only send us that gift when the time is right." I told him as I stood back up straight. "I'm just a little impatient is all."

"I know." He said as he grabbed his crossbow from the wall hanger he had made when we first moved in here. "Let's go, everybody." Daryl called out as he held open the door for me, Trouble, and the nine little ones that were just about ready for their new home. Sarah had said that she would take three of them back to Riverside with her and find them good homes, Bella had said that they would take one for Safe Storage also. That left us with five to rehome on the farm.

After breakfast we went our separate ways, me to the gardens and him to help extend the perimeter fence to enclose our wheat and corn fields too. Deer and walkers had compromised some of our crops last year so this was us upping our defenses against nature, walkers, and other humans if they felt the need to harass us.

I was elbow deep in cabbage plants when I heard my sister's scream from inside the house. She had been told by Dakota to take it easy so they could keep the babies in as long as possible since there was no NICU available for preemie babies. "Oh no." I whispered as I quickly raced for the house, shedding my gardening gloves as I went. "Maggie?!" I called out as I yanked open the screen door of the house that led into the kitchen.

Patricia stopped me before I made it into the living room. "They've got her but her water just broke and is in full blown labor. I need you to go get Glenn." Patricia told me firmly as she held onto my arms.

With a quick nod I glanced over Patricia's shoulder to see Dakota, Lori, and Samantha leading Maggie towards the clinic building where Samantha had everything she needed to deliver the babies safely. "She's okay?" I asked nervously.

"She's nervous but otherwise just fine. The babies are only a few weeks early so they may be small but should otherwise be healthy and Maggie knows that." Patricia reassured me.

I nodded before giving her arms a squeeze and bolting back out the kitchen door so I could go get Glenn from where he was working on the corn and wheat acreage fences. "Tell her I'm going to get Glenn!" I hollered out to Dakota who was carrying a bucket of water into the clinic.

Rushing towards the fence I waved a grateful thanks up to a very pregnant Sasha who was on watch with Bob at the gates. "It's time!" I called up to her as I raced through the outer gate.

Shawn welcomed Marley and Phoenix to their family early the next morning, just before sunrise. When I went to visit with the newest additions to not only the Rhee family but the farm my sister lay in the twin bed resting against a small stack of pillows looking exhausted from the tough night she had. "Hey sissy. How are you guys doing?" I whispered so as to not wake Glenn who was snoozing in the chair next to Maggie's bed while the twins lay wrapped in their blankets in the cradle Dale had made for the clinic.

"Exhausted but happy. Meet your new niece and nephew. Marley and Phoenix." Maggie whispered pointing to the cradle.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Jesus and Abraham kept leaving the farm every two weeks for two solid days to go check the safety net houses in the surrounding towns but so far none of the supplies had been touched and nobody had been found in any of the houses. "Do you think it's a waste of our resources?" Baylee asked as she worked side by side with me in the kitchen garden harvesting the herbs that were ready and pulling weeds as we went along.

"I don't because the only thing they are taking new each time is water but the jars of food has been the same since they first started making these safety net houses." I explained as Sharpie, one of Trouble's puppies, came bounding up to me with an old shoe in his mouth. Tugging the chewed-up shoe from the pup I tossed it as hard as I could causing the puppy to bark and run after it while his mother simply lay in the shade with Ian and Chloe. Out of the bountiful litter of nine pups, the farm kept four of them while the rest went to Riverside and Safe Storage. Sharpie belonged to Mika much to Carol and Ryan's annoyance because he was a hardheaded little thing that like to chew on shoes no matter how many bones they gave him. Maggie and Glenn seemed to be a glutton for punishment when they said they wanted one of the pups to give their kids a dog to grow up with but we gave them the mild mannered little girl that they named Sasha. William and Lindsey wanted one also so they took a boy that they named Scooby, sticking with the tradition of all the pups having names that started with S. Rosita had finally talked Abraham into taking one of the pups for themselves so she had picked out another boy that they named Scrappy. Riverside took three of the pups, two females and a boy, while Safe Storage took the remaining two girls.

Baylee shook her head as she placed the parsley sprigs into her basket. "It's just that with all the babies and kids on the farm it seems irresponsible to look for other people that may bring bad things to our home."

"It's all about paying it forward, Baylee. Just because the world that we all knew is gone doesn't mean we have to lose our humanity along with it. One life saved is one less walker gunning for our lives or our kids lives." I told her as I spotted Mika playing tug of war with Sharpie with the old shoe he had been gnawing on for a few days now.

"But you don't have any kids to worry about, Beth. Having kids adds a whole new worry on top of the normal ones." She argued. I knew she didn't mean anything by her comment but it still struck me the wrong way because I felt responsible for every single person on this farm.

Other than Rick and Daryl's original group and the group Maggie had brought back from the first major run I had been a major part of inviting everybody else into the safety of our farm. "You think I don't have anything to worry about simply because I don't have any kids? That's crazy because I am the one responsible for making sure every single person on this farm is fed throughout the entire year. I may not have kids but that doesn't mean I don't have just as many worries as you or my sister on a daily basis, if anything I have one of the biggest worries of all. Without the gardens that I work in just about year round this farm would never survive. Those babies that we all loved and cherish would starve because their mothers wouldn't be able to produce breast milk because of lack of nutrition." I ranted angrily before grabbing my basket and making my way to my garden shed where I could work off my irritation and frustrations by preparing the herbs for the drying rack in the root cellar.

I was in the middle of stringing up my collection of Stevia plants when Baylee walked in the door with an apology spewing from her lips. "I'm so sorry, Beth. I didn't mean to be so insensitive about you not having any kids. We all know how hard you work to make sure we all have plenty to eat throughout the year. I'm sorry." She whispered before placing her basket of herbs on the counter and racing out of the small building.

Shaking my head I continued my work on stringing up the clumps of herbs before placing them all back in the baskets so I could carry them down to the root cellar to hand from the rafters until they dried out but didn't lose their potency. While down in the root cellar I checked all of the boxes and shelves that contained our haul we had collected so far this summer, turning the things that needed to be turned and pulling down the herb bunches that were ready for jarring. "Lucky, you down here still?" Daryl called out from the still closed doorway because sunlight and moisture were the two most dangerous things to root cellar items.

"Yeah, I'm about ready to come up though. You okay?" I called out as I gently laid the dried herbs into the cornhusk basket that Dakota had made for us to use in the gardens.

"I'm okay. I'll wait on ya."

Grabbing up my baskets I headed up the stairs to the door, pushing it open so I could step out. Daryl was standing there with his crossbow slung across his back. "Thought you was working on the wall today?" I asked him as I shut the door tightly behind me, sliding the latches into place to keep the doors closed.

"Was. Takin' a break to saw our girl laying here lookin' upset." He said pointing to Trouble who was indeed laying with her head resting on her front paws looking up at me with concern in her eyes.

Shaking my head I started for the garden shed so I could get the herbs off the stems and into the jars for storage. "It's nothing. She's probably upset because Baylee and I had a slight disagreement earlier and our voices may have gotten a bit loud." I explained as we all three fell into step side by side.

"About?" Daryl asked as he folded his arms across his chest, preparing himself for what was about to come out of my mouth.

Coming to a stop just outside of my precious gardening shed I looked up at him with soft gentle eyes. "Worries. It all started over Jesus and the other guys getting ready to go check the safety net houses again. She just couldn't understand why they would go searching for people when the farm was full of children and babies. Then she made the comment about me not having the same worries as her and my sister because I don't have children. I simply told her that I had the biggest worry of all because it fell onto my shoulders whether the people of this farm ate good throughout the entire year." I said, giving him a brief overview of mine and Baylee's disagreement.

"Hmm." He grunted as he looked around us, I assumed he was looking for Baylee or Nathan to give them a piece of his mind.

Placing my hand on his tense arm I pulled his attention back to me. "It's fine, Daryl. I promise. She apologized shortly after I walked away. Sometimes I think she forgets about what all it takes to make this farm run as smoothly as it does but she's just young and a new mother again too. I swear to you, it's all fine."

He nodded as he bent forward to press a kiss to my forehead. "Love you, Lucky."

"I love you, too. Please do not go terrorizing Nathan or Baylee on my behalf." I whispered as I stepped back from his kiss.

"M'kay." He mumbled as he tapped the side of his leg to signal to Trouble to follow him. "Gonna go check the traps."

I smiled as he and Trouble headed for the gates. "Be safe." I called out to him to which he gave me a thumbs up over his head.


	27. Chapter 27

Sitting on the bench of the park where Trade Days took place I stroked the strings of my guitar to a song I was preparing to sing while we waited on the others to arrive. Since Rick and Michonne had stayed at the farm due to Michonne's pregnancy we had added Kayden and Jesus to our truck. "Whatcha singin' today?" Daryl asked as he settled onto the picnic table next to me with his crossbow in his lap.

"Was thinking about 'It's a Great Day to be Alive' by Travis Tritt. Whatcha think?" I asked as I strummed the beginning of the melody lightly.

Daryl nodded with a grin on his face. "I like it."

With a smile on my face I started the melody over while I bumped shoulders with Daryl before beginning to sing. "Ya gonna join me?" I teased just before launching into the first line of the song.

 _I got rice cooking in the microwave  
I got a three day beard I don't plan to shave  
It's a goofy thing but I just gotta say, hey,  
I'm doing alright_

 _Yeah I think I'll make me some home-made soup  
I'm feeling pretty good and that's the truth  
It's neither drink nor drug induced, no,  
I'm just doing alright_

Just as I launched into the chorus Daryl's voice joined my in his smoke roughened voice. Smiling at him I nodded my head along with the tune as we sang the chorus together. It was really shocking that Daryl had joined me in singing the song considering we weren't by ourselves. The first time I had caught him mumbling along with me I had begged and begged for him to actually sing the song out loud with me. And he had because he didn't want to disappoint me and he loved his reward after!

 _And it's a great day to be alive  
I know the sun's still shining  
When I close my eyes  
There's some hard times in the neighborhood  
But why can't every day be just this good_

 _It's been fifteen years since I left home  
I said good luck to every seed I'd sown  
Gave it my best and then I left it alone  
I hope they're doing alright_

 _Now I look in the mirror and what do I see  
A lone wolf there staring back at me  
Long in the tooth but harmless as can be  
Lord I guess he's doin' alright_

 _And it's a great day to be alive  
I know the sun's still shining  
When I close my eyes  
There's some hard times in the neighborhood  
But why can't every day be just this good_

 _Sometimes it's lonely, sometimes it's only me  
And the shadows that fill this room  
Sometimes I'm falling, desperately calling  
Howling at the moon, ah-ooh, ah-ooh_

 _Well, I might go get me a new tattoo  
Or take my old Harley for three day cruise  
Might even grow me a fu man chu_

 _And it's a great day to be alive  
I know the sun's still shining  
When I close my eyes  
There's some hard times in the neighborhood  
But why can't every day be just this good_

 _And it's a great day to be alive  
I know the sun's still shining  
When I close my eyes  
There's some hard times in the neighborhood  
But why can't every day be just this good, ah-ooh, oh yeah_

As the last notes filtered through the air I heard several whistles coming from the other's hiding spots close by as well as the others clapping at my performance. "Good job, you two!" Jesus called out as he stood from his picnic table where he had been sitting next to Kayden. "But our company has begun to arrive." He said pointing toward the entrance to the park where Sarah could be seen hanging half out the passenger side window of the truck Timothy was driving waving at us with a bright smile on her face.

I couldn't help but smile and wave back at her. Despite everything the woman had been through in this lifetime she still kept pushing through and loved to mother everybody around her. I was anxious to tell her my most recent news. It was something I had kept one hundred percent to myself so far but was ready to share it with the woman that was like a mother to me. "Nervous?" Daryl asked as he noticed me bouncing my legs against the concrete.

"Yep. I just hope they will be agreeable to the carnival idea. It would be a good way to get all of our communities together so everybody could get to know one another." I told him as Timothy barely got the truck in park before Sarah was climbing from the truck racing towards me and Rosita with open arms. Daryl thinking my nerves were over the carnival idea brought me a bit of relief because I wanted to see Sarah and Bella one last time before I was confined to the farm like Baylee and Maggie and Michonne were. I jumped up from my table to meet Sarah halfway.

"Oh my girls!" She called out as she snagged us both in a fierce hug. "Where's Michie?" She asked as she pulled back from our group hug.

Rosita rolled her eyes. "She drank too much of the water and got herself pregnant so they're on the farm for a while."

Sarah smiled brightly. "Babies are always a blessing. When are you two going to have some?"

I shrugged my shoulders because Daryl and I had been practicing like crazy and praying for a miracle every night before bed along with sending our wishes on shooting stars whenever we saw one. He just didn't realize that all of those prayers had been answered. "I guess whenever it is meant to happen." I whispered softly while Rosita adamantly shook her head.

"I'm good being a doting auntie right now to all the babies on the farm. Not ready to be a momma and my big behemoth is a bit leery considering what happened to his family at the beginning of the turn. We're just not ready yet." She explained softly as the guys began pulling the crates from the beds of the truck to place them on the picnic tables. This had become easier since we had more than just our two communities involved in the Trade Day affair. Each of our communities produced unique items that the other communities couldn't grow so that was the majority of what we brought on Trade Days.

Seafood of all kind came from Riverside along with rice and carrots.

Wheat products such as flour, pasta, and tortillas came from the Farm along with beans and herbs.

Safe Storage brought the corn fuel as well as sun flower oil and fresh corn silk syrup.

Other than those main items we just brought whatever we thought the other communities could possibly use. Dakota made beautiful corn husk baskets, rugs, and sandals. Emmett from Safe Storage whittled little toys from old pieces of wood that the kids loved. Kennedy from Riverside made gorgeous clay pots from the river clay.

"Is that guitar yours?" Sarah asked pointing to my guitar that was propped against the railing of the pavilion we sat under.

"It is." I said with a smile as I went to grab my instrument. "Would you like to hear a song while we wait on the others?" I asked as I climbed back onto the top of the picnic table with the guitar in my lap.

Sarah smiled and nodded eagerly.

A few songs later the Safe Storage crew pulled into the parking lot with Ren hanging out the window waving wildly at us while Bella hung onto her tightly. When Edward pulled to a stop Bella opened the door to let her little wild monster escape from her clutches and run into Sarah's awaiting arms. "Hello little one. Have you been good for your momma and daddy?" Sarah asked her as she lifted the little girl up into her arms.

"Yep." Ren chirped with a nod of her head and a bright smile. That smile slipped when she heard her dad clear his throat. "I mean yes ma'am." She corrected while smiling brightly at her father who just shook his head as he began unloading the crates from the back of their truck.

"Well then I have that special treat for you." Sarah told her as she dug into her pocket pulling out a cloth wrapped package. "A good friend of mine made some gumdrops for all the kids at Riverside and sent some with me just for you. But we can't eat them all at one time, okay?" Sarah explained as she placed the small package in Ren's open eager hands.

Ren nodded as she took the cloth wrapped package from Sarah with wide eyes and a big smile on her face. "Yes ma'am. Thank you." She said before glancing at her mom who smiled at her because she had remembered her manners. "Can we go feed the ducks now?" She asked as she handed the package to her mom.

Walking down to the lake with Sarah, Bella, and Ren I couldn't help but be nervous at actually verbalizing what had been nothing but a suspicion in my head. "Beth, are you okay?" Sarah asked as Bella got Ren situated at the lakes edge with her small bag of torn tortilla pieces.

I nodded as I looked at her with tears in my eyes. "Yeah, but I'm afraid this will be the last time I'm able to participate in Trade day." I told her softly.

"What?! Why?!" Bella asked as she quickly joined Sarah and I again while still keeping an eye on Ren. "Are you okay?"

With a big smile on my face I nodded. "I'm perfect actually but you see in about seven months…"

~*~LUCKY~*~

A few days after we got back from trade day Patricia mentioned that it should be about time for the peaches to be picked so that is where I found myself when the first wave of morning sickness hit me. Dropping the peaches I had picked off the ground into the wooden crate I quickly made my way to the fence to empty my stomach. I was leaning on the fence rail when I felt Daryl's hand run up my now sweaty back. "Lucky?" He asked as he stroked my back softly.

Groaning I turned to look at him. "I'm pregnant and apparently your child doesn't like me right now." I told him just as I felt my stomach do flip flops again causing me to bend over the rail to finish emptying my stomach of the rest of my breakfast. When I finally felt like the tiny person in my uterus was finished tormenting me I turned to face my husband who hadn't uttered a single word since I told him I was pregnant. "Daryl?" I asked nervously as I reached up to cup his face in my hands. "This is what we've been praying for, baby. We're gonna have a beautiful little dynamo that is the perfect mix of both of us." I whispered to him as I pulled his face to mine so our foreheads rested together.

"Are ya sure?" He asked as his hands spanned my hips tugging my body until it was flush with his.

I nodded. "I'm sure, baby, I'm so sure. I haven't taken a test but I haven't had my cycle in almost two months and now this." I told him as I stared into his eyes watching the emotions flicker across his face.

His face slowly transformed from anxious to nervous to terrified to excited. "We're havin' a baby?" He asked softly as he dropped to his knees in front of me and lifted my shirt up. "They's a baby in here?" He asked softly as he pressed tiny kisses all over my lower stomach that had started to get hard over the last week.

Running my fingers through his hair I tugged his head back so I could look at his face. "You're gonna be an amazing daddy to this little one, just like you are an amazing husband to me. We're having a baby." I told him with a bright smile on my face.

He suddenly wrapped his arms around my legs before standing up with me in his arms. "We're havin' a baby!" He called out loudly before letting me slide down his body.

Daryl's exuberance caught the attention of the others that were picking peaches with us. Our help these days was limited since Sasha was still recovering from giving birth to her big boy, Kaylum; Michonne and Lori were very pregnant; Aaron and Eric were dealing with Luke and Molly's sudden outbursts; Baylee and Maggie were nursing still which meant people were picking up all their watch shifts and chore lists. That left us with Alexa, Willow, Taylor, and Ryan but it was enough because before the end of the day my secret was no longer a secret.

That night after dinner my dad placed a hand on my shoulder as I stood scraping the scraps into the scrap bucket. "Bethie."

"Hi, Daddy." I whispered as tears sprang to my eyes.

My dad pulled me against his chest in a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you and Daryl. You two will make amazing parents. Your momma always wanted this for you and is cheering very loudly from heaven, baby girl."

The tears spilled down my cheeks at his words. "Thank you, Daddy. I'm so scared and I miss her more than ever right now. I wish she was here to help me through this." I confessed into his shirt as I returned his hug tightly.

"I know, baby girl, me too." He whispered against the top of my head.

I'm not sure how long we stood there before we broke apart to finish our before bed chores. As I was walking towards home that night after walking the garden beds one last time I spotted my wonderful husband leaning against the doorway that led to our green space/bathroom that we shared with the growing Rhee family. "Hey you." I whispered to him as I walked right up to him slipping my arms around his waist and into his back pockets.

He wrapped his arms around my back, pulling me tight against his chest. "Saw ya cryin' wit' ya dad. Ya okay?" He asked as he rubbed his hands up and down my back.

I nodded against his chest. "Yeah, just talking about momma and how I wish she was here to see me become a momma too." I told him softly. "He misses her too."

Daryl remaining quiet came as no surprise to me because his parents were just horrible at the parenting thing and he didn't miss them at all. Which I knew. "I didn't know yer mama but I wish I hada." He whispered after a short silence.

"She was pretty amazing. Deserved a better end than she got that's for sure. But she's watching over all of us from her seat in heaven. Of that, I'm certain." I told him softly as I squeezed him in close to me. "Are you happy about the baby?" I asked him nervously.

He pulled back and slid his hands up my back until they cradled my head in his callus roughened hands. "Lucky, ya know I am. I'm nervous as hell too but…" He trailed off with a shrug of his shoulders.

Nodding my head in understanding I stepped up onto my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. "I know. Me too."

The weeks after my pregnancy reveal were a learning experience for Daryl and I both as we adjusted to the hormones that came with being pregnant but the entire farm was busy with the planning of the first ever New World Carnival that was going to be held in place of the next trade day. After much discussion we had decided that the hosting of the carnival would rotate between communities and we allowed Ren to pull the name out of the hat for the first years host and the farm had won.

So we were busy coming up with a variety of games that would work for all ages.

Another concern of ours had been how we was going to accommodate so many people. Riverside was seventy-nine people strong with only sixty-five coming to the carnival so that their community wasn't left completely defenseless. Safe Storage was thirty-two people strong with only twenty-one coming to the farm. The farm was sixty-one people strong with all being able to attend since our plan was to rotate the ones who were on watch so everybody could participate in the festivities. So that gave us a grand total of one hundred and thirty-nine people ranging in age from a few weeks old to sixty-eight years old.

The plan was for everybody to stay overnight on the farm and head home the following morning. Each community was bringing dishes for the evening meal so that it wasn't all on the farm to provide food for everybody. According to our calendars the festival will be taking place around Thanksgiving which is not something that is celebrated anymore since everybody was thankful for every single day that we and our loved ones stayed alive and safe.

Sitting on the roof of the house that I was born in and grew up in I couldn't help but smile at everything I saw around me. My childhood home was going to become my baby's childhood home also because of the things that Daryl and the others have done to make us safe. "Lucky, whatcha doin' up here?" Daryl asked as he climbed up to join me in what had become our spot.

Resting my chin on my knees I smiled over at him. "Just thinking." I told him softly as I looked around and really took in everything that had changed in the past few years. When the world went to crap this was just a typical working farm and my home. But now it was a whole community that was home to almost seventy people with it's own medical clinic, blacksmith shop, home goods store, smoke house, and so much more.

He sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Good thinkin'?"

I nodded as I leaned into him with a contented sigh. "Just about how much things have changed around here in the past few years."

Daryl simply grunted in agreement as we settled into a quiet silence as we watched the going on's around us as the farm prepared to settle into rest for the night. The kids were running around with all the pups to get rid of that last bit of energy from both. Emily and Jonah were leading the horses back into the barn for the night. Macey, Luke, and Molly were feeding the chickens and closing up the pen. Josh was tamping down the fires in the blacksmith shop. Dale and John were stoking the fires in the smoke house. Susan and Dakota were pulling the last of the fresh linens in off the clothes line and folding them up. Cady, Alexis, and Willow were giggling as they turned the composting barrels after adding the dinner scraps to them. It was a fresh sight to see as the last bit of light faded from the sky.

Once everything was quiet on the farm, Daryl and I laid back on the roof together. "Sing for me?" Daryl asked softly.

Turning onto my side I smiled up at him. "Any particular requests?" I asked as I ran my fingers over the scruff on his cheek.

He shook his head. "Nah, you pick."

Preparation for the carnival was put on hold as harvesting season reached its peak which meant our people were stressed as we picked and preserved everything we had before it spoiled. While I kept a bunch of produce in the root cellars, a bunch still had to be canned or ground up to keep the spoilage to a minimum.

There was also the process of preparing the root cellars for the newest round of fruit and vegetables; replacing broken crates, gathering leaves and stuff to replace the old, and making sure that the root cellars were as dark as possible.

The massive garden beds were also another big project that the farm had to handle. Once all of the summer crops had been harvested the soil was tilled and turned before the cover crops were planted. For the winter months we planted oats, clover, and rye for two very good reasons. One being that these things were exceptionally good at repairing the soil from the summer gardens and two being that they weren't just useless crops. We used every bit of the cover crops in the kitchen.

Getting our wood stock built up for the winter was a massive undertaking also. Wood was a hot commodity on the farm as we had twenty-six wood stoves on the property that kept us warm during the cold winter months.

With fall approaching the wheat and corn had to be harvested and stored which meant the farm was overrun with stacks of corn cobs and bags of wheat berries.

Winter preparations was the most stressful time of the year on the farm and the carnival just simply added to the stress and apparently baby Dixon didn't like their momma being stressed out because my morning sickness had kicked into high gear the past week. Stepping out of my garden shed I bent over with my hands resting on my knees as I breathed like Baylee and Maggie had showed me to help control the nausea. "Ya okay, Lucky?" Daryl asked as he tossed his string of trap animals a few feet from me on the ground.

Nodding my head I raised up to look at my husband who had his crossbow slung over his shoulder. "I'm fine, just a little nauseous. Where's Trouble?" I asked when I noticed she wasn't by his side.

"Sleepin' on tha porch with your Pa." He said with a roll of his eyes because ever since our girl had given birth to her massive litter of puppies she would rather take naps these days than do any kind of work. Placing one hand on my hip he slid his other one onto my lower stomach where our baby was growing. "Is she okay?" He asked softly.

Nodding my head I leaned up to press a kiss to Daryl's cheek. "Of course, we're both perfect. Your child just don't like her momma being stressed." I explained to him as his fingers stroked over my small baby bump. "You know, it may be a boy instead of a girl."

Daryl quickly shook his head. "Nah, thisin's a girl."

* * *

 **I wasn't going to stop this here but everytime I took it any further the story just didn't flow like I wanted it to so with that being said this was the best stopping point for this chapter. The next chapter will be all about the carnival festivities and maybe some Bethyl baby moments.**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The morning of the carnival was a beautiful crisp fall day that I started with my head hung over the edge of the porch railing emptying my stomach of the tiny bit that I had managed to swallow down before the baby had other ideas. "Come on, Bethie, suck it up! We've got people coming today!" My sister called to me as she walked up the porch holding Sean's hand while Glenn juggled the twins. I had barely made it through the front door of the main house before the smell of breakfast sent my stomach into flip flops.

"Nah, I can't go back in there." I mumbled as I rested my head on my bent arms. "Don't know what Patricia's cooked but Baby Dixon don't like it at all." I continued to mumble as my sister herded her family through the front door.

After a few minutes I made my way to the porch swing where I curled up on the cushion with my hand over my small baby bump that was barely visible. I must have dozed off because the next thing I know is Patricia kneeling on the porch in front of me brushing my hair off of my face. "My sweet girl, is your stomach still queasy?" She asked me softly.

I nodded with a groan. "Yes but I'm hungry too. The smell is what made me sick." I explained softly.

Patricia smiled as she held a rage out towards me. "Put this under your nose and see if it helps. It's soaked in peppermint and chamomile."

Sitting up on the swing I took the small piece of cloth from her and smelled it tentatively. "This smells amazing." I told her with a bright smile on my face. "How am I supposed to eat with this rag over my mouth and nose?" I asked curiously.

From the pocket of her apron she pulled out a small bottle. "Rub a little bit of this around your nose. It will help block out any offensive smells that the baby doesn't like."

"Okay." I whispered as I put a bit on my fingertip before rubbing it around and even inside my nose. "What was you cooking anyways?" I asked her curiously as I eased from the swing.

She chuckled as she stood from the porch. "Rabbit and squirrel sausage patties, country potatoes, and fried eggs."

"Sounds delicious." I said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and guided me into the house once again.

Out of instinct I held my breath when Patricia guided me through the front door but she squeezed me gently. "Breathe, Beth."

Taking a cautious sniff of the air I couldn't smell anything other than the peppermint and chamomile so I smiled brightly. "It worked!" I said as I quickly made my way to the small space between my dad and Daryl.

Once breakfast was over we all set out to take care of our daily morning chores before our friends began to arrive for the carnival festivities. Even though today was the day of the carnival there were still chores to be taken care of.

The daily chore list included: feeding and watering all the animals, milking the cows and goats, letting the horses out into the pasture, checking the crops in the garden beds, rotating the compost bins, checking the beehives, gathering the eggs from the chicken nests, refilling the wood piles for the wood stoves, restocking the kitchen crib basket with a new round of dried corn cobs, going outside the gates to check the traps and walls, check the root cellars for bad stock, take inventory on the feed barrels, get the latest round of laundry started, and so much more.

Each person had a chore that they done every day so there was no confusion on who had to do what. Macey, Mika, and Alexa took care of the animals in the barn which included feeding, watering, and cleaning the stalls of the horses, sheep, and goats. Molly, Luke, and Jonah under Eric's watchful eye took care of the chickens which included feeding, watering, gathering eggs, tossing their nests, and spreading wood chips over the floor. After breakfast Baylee, Lori, Cady, Layla, and Patricia took turns washing dishes, doing laundry, and watching over the babies. Daryl and Tyrese went outside the gates to check the structure of the outer walls and the traps that were set up around the perimeter of the property. Emily and Jada helped me check the garden beds for pests and wilting crops before going into the root cellars to turn the produce and pull the ones on the verge of spoilage for dinner that night. Michonne who was due to pop within the next month took inventory of both the animal and human food stock with Willow's help. Maggie worked the composting bins while Glenn restocked the wood piles around the farm with Sean and William's help. John and Susan fed and watered the rabbits while checking on the babies that were just a few days old. Elliot collected all the wood ash from the stoves for his wife to use in making the soaps and such. My dad turned the animals out into the paddocks once the kids finished feeding them. Sasha with baby Kaylum strapped to her chest filled the corn crib in both kitchens with dried corn cobs to feed the stoves.

Simply said…we all worked together as a team to make life a little easier for everybody. Things were a bit different today as we dragged all the extra blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, and such from the basement storage for our guests. A few days ago everybody had sat down to figure out where everybody was going to sleep tonight since we were going to have almost one hundred and fifty people within our walls tonight and the air was pretty cool. We were going to be pretty cramped for one night but we were going to make it work. Maggie and Glenn's room was already filled to capacity with them, two babies, and a toddler. Aaron and Eric's room was filled also with them, Molly, and Luke. The attic was full with Baylee, Nathan, and their three kids. Lindsey said that several people could fit into the school room if the benches were pushed to the walls and pallets laid out. Martha said that she could rearrange the front of their building to accommodate several folks also. Samantha told her boys that one of them could give up their rooms for the guests and share a room with the other brother for the night plus they had the clinic floor open for our guests. Taylor said him and Layla could bunk with John and Susan for the night so their room would be available also. Carl said him and Enid would bunk with Michonne and Rick for the night to free up their room. Cady, Alexa, Willow, and Jada said that they could sleep together in two beds which meant they would have four free beds in their room. Baylee told Emily and Macey that they could either sleep in Kayden's room or in the attic with her for the night and the girls chose to bunk with their big brother for the night to free up their rooms. Everybody was willing to do whatever they could to make our guest comfortable for the night.

I was just stepping out of the root cellar when Patricia stepped onto the porch dinging her bell twice which meant that the call had come announcing that our friends were almost here. "They're almost here!" I said excitedly to Emily and Jada who were standing just outside the root cellar doors with wide eyes. "Oh girls, it's going to be okay. These are good people."

They both nodded but I could tell that they were still worried but for very different reasons. Emily knew most of the people coming today but had bad experiences and memories from her time with them. Jada didn't know any of the people coming today but her experiences from being on the road with the other girls made her naturally apprehensive to allowing strangers into her safe zone where people she loved lived. Emily sighed and nodded. "Okay. Tim and Sarah never did anything bad to me personally but they also didn't help in stopping Dick from hurting my sister and brother."

"I understand all of that sweetheart and they are very anxious to see you, your sisters, and brother again so that they can explain and apologize. I would never allow them inside these gates if I thought for a second that any of the people coming had bad intentions for any of us here. Can we just give this a chance? We've all had bad experiences in our lives but we can't let that take away our humanity and lives." I told them as I sat my basket on the ground to pull the girls into a quick hug. "This carnival is supposed to not only fun but it's supposed to bring our communities together." I whispered against their heads before pressing a kiss to each girls' head.

Jada took a deep breath and nodded first. "Okay, I'll give them a chance. Em, I'll stick by your side until you tell me to get lost. Okay?"

With a smile on her face she nodded at both of us. "Okay."

"Let's get this stuff inside so we can greet our guests." I told them as I picked my basket back up off the ground "When was the last time you girls went to a carnival?" I asked as we made our way towards the house so we could drop our vegetables off with Patricia.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Leaning over the edge of the fence where Macey was helping Ren and some other little kids from Riverside hold some of the baby rabbits we had I couldn't help but smile at the sight. "If you hold their bottoms they won't be scared of being dropped and shouldn't scratch you." Macey explained to Ren as she placed one of the tiny rabbits in her small hands, showing her the proper way to hold it while the others watched intensely.

"Do they have names?" One of the dark skinned kids from Riverside asked Macey as she helped him hold his own rabbit.

Macey quickly shook her head. "No, Ben, they don't have names because they aren't pets."

"Then what are they?" One of the little girls with braided pig tails asked as she waited her turn to hold a baby rabbit.

I watched as Macey made her way to the little girl with a tiny fluffy white rabbit in her hands. "Riley, they are food." Macey explained as she cupped the little girls hands around the rabbit's body.

"You eat them?" She asked horrified.

Burying my smile behind my hand I watched as Macey knelt down in front of the little girl. "Some of them we eat but we also keep some of them to make more rabbits."

The little girl, Riley, looked at Macey with tears in her eyes. "But they're so cute. Can I take this one home with me?"

With a smile on her face she brushed the little girls black hair off of her face. "They're not pets, Riley, so no one can take them home with them. But that doesn't mean we can't love on them while they're still babies."

"Okay." Riley said as she sat down with her bunny cuddled in her hands as Macey moved on to the next little child.

With a smile and a nod in Macey's direction I moved on to the next set up which was face painting that Lori and Michonne were doing since Dakota had given them explicit instructions to take it easy so they didn't go into early labor during the festival. We had all crushed and strained berries, flowers, spices, and leaves to create the basic colors to paint simple things on the little kids faces. When I spotted them, I couldn't help but smile as I saw Michonne painting a flower onto Sarah's cheek as she held Ian in her lap while Lori painted a star on a little boy who's name I didn't know cheek. "You want me to write anything in the star, Jeremy?" Lori asked the little boy.

He nodded and looked to her with a sad smile on his face. "Amy. That's my big sister's name but she's in heaven now with our Daddy and Grandpa."

"I'm so sorry sweetheart. It's always a sad day when we lose a loved one." Lori told him as she wrote his sisters name in the star on his cheek.

When she put down the tiny paintbrush that Lucy had made for this special day and showed the little boy his face in the hand mirror, he smiled broadly at her before placing a quick kiss to her cheek and scampering off. I couldn't help but smile at Lori as she rubbed her hands over her very large stomach where her third child lay waiting for the perfect time to make its entrance into the world. "You doing okay, Lori?" I asked her softly as I sat in the seat Jeremy had vacated.

"I'm fine, he's just moving around a lot tonight." She said as she pressed against the side of her stomach with a smile. "He likes to press his foot up into my ribs so he's probably going to be a big boy or a long one at least."

I smiled at her just as Michonne finished up with Sarah and little Ian. "How's the other momma to be doing?" I asked Michonne as I spread my fingers over my own small baby bump.

"Miserable but pushing through it. This heartburn is about to be the death of me. I never had them when I was pregnant with Andre." Michonne said as she tweaked little Ian's nose causing the little boy to giggle and grab at her hand.

Lori chuckled as she nodded in understanding. "I was the same way when I was pregnant with Carl and the boy came out with a head full of hair. The boy even had hair on his feet! So blame Rick."

Michonne groaned. "Ugh. I could kill him if I didn't love him so damn much."

Sarah rubbed Michonne's large stomach with a gentle touch. "Have you tried making yourself some ginger and honey tea? Or maybe lemon and honey?" She asked her as she rubbed soothing circles over Michonne's stomach.

Michonne nodded with a groan. "Oh yeah, everybody has given me remedies to try and nothing seems to work so I guess I'm just destined to be miserable until this one decides to come out."

Patting Lori on the knee I stood up to finish my perusal of the carnival setups. "I'll leave you ladies to talk. I'll see y'all in a bit." I told them with a quick wave as I made my way down the path towards the tin can knockdown setup. Instead of bottles and regular balls we created the typical carnival game using old tin cans and rocks.

Walking towards the group of teenagers that had taken over the three sets of cans in a competition of sorts I couldn't help but chuckle at the ragging that was going on between all the teenage boys and girls. Carl, Enid, Jada, Cady, and several from the other communities that were close in age stood gathered around as they each took turns attempting to knock the cans down. Daryl and Josh had rigged the cans up with by adding weights to some of them so they weren't so easy to knock down. Dale and Patricia were the ones monitoring the game, calling the winners, and resetting the cans for the teenagers so I skirted around the kids to make my way to Patricia who was sitting in one of the lawn chairs we had collected over the years of scavenging. "They aren't getting too out of hand are they?" I teased as I sat in Dale's vacated chair while he reset the cans for the youngsters.

Patricia chuckled and patted my hand gently. "Never. I'm like a grandmother to all of them so they are keeping it fairly tame. How's my girls doing tonight?" She asked with a grin on her face.

"She's not making me sick at the moment so I would say we're good for now." I told her honestly as I placed a hand over my small bump where my child lay. "I really never thought this moment would happen, you know? But now that it is happening, I'm scared."

Patricia cupped my cheek in her hand gently stroking the skin there in a soothing manner. "Oh Bethie, we're all here for you sweet girl. We're all scared with every pregnancy because not only is it a new mouth to feed but without modern technology we can't foresee any problems until they happen. Then as you well know, with each new baby that we welcome to the farm the noise level increases just a bit which is dangerous on its own these days. In another words, sweet girl, we're all scared every day. But that can't stop us from living our lives. This baby is a blessing from heaven sent by your momma. Don't be scared, just enjoy the precious gift she sent you."

Nodding with tears in my eyes I leaned over to kiss her gently on the cheek. "I'll try my best. Promise."

"Good deal. Now wipe those tears before your hubby tears me a new one for making you cry." She scolded playfully as she handed me a soft handkerchief.

Chuckling I swiped the soft material across my eyes and down my cheeks to erase all remnants of tears but Daryl should be getting used to them since I seemed to cry over everything. Hell, just the other day I was crying because one of my pumpkins had rotted on the bottom because I had forgot to rotate it for a few days. "Good as new. Thanks." I whispered as I stood up, handing her back the hankie. "I'm gonna go check on the three legged races."

"Okay, we'll keep these rowdy kids in check." She teased as Carl and another boy laughed loudly at something.

"Have fun with that." I told her with a smile and a wave as I headed down the path a ways where I saw my sister standing over Rick, who lay on the ground, with her hands on her hips practically yelling at him while Glenn and Daryl stood on the sidelines shaking their heads and smiling at the scene. To say that my sister has a mild competitive streak was putting it mildly. She hated not winning and it went all the way back to when she was a little kid. I had heard stories about how she would throw fits when she lost at anything whether it be a game of tag, board games, softball, track, and anything else she had tried while growing up. Sneaking up behind Daryl as stealthily as I could I stood on my tiptoes to slide my hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" I whispered though I knew from his lack of physical response that he knew who it was before I ever even got close to him. He was just good like that and it really irked me some times but not tonight.

Daryl playfully pulled one of my hands down to nibble on my fingers. "Nadine, that best be you." He deadpanned as he bit the end of my thumb gently.

I slapped him playfully on the shoulder as I attempted to tug my hand our of his grasp. "You jerk." I giggled as he continued to nibble on each of my fingers causing me to giggle loudly.

"Lucky, I can feel ya eyes on me always. An' I know ya ain't gonna let some chick get this close ta me." He told me as he tugged me around until I was standing in front of him with a mock glare on my face but his words made it difficult to not smile. He tugged my hands to his chest where he laid them flat against his pecs with his spread over the top of them. "How're my girls?" He whispered as he leaned down to press a quick kiss to my lips because he usually wasn't a big fan of public affections.

That did it. The smile spread quickly across my face at the mention of our baby. "We're doing a lot better than Lori and Michie but I really can't wait to feel our little one move inside me." I told him as I turned around to lean back against him, tugging his arms around me to rest on our little one. Since I was right around the five month mark of my pregnancy, everybody told me that I could feel the baby move any day now. "What happened out there?" I asked as I nodded in Maggie and Rick's direction where Maggie was still talking to Rick who lay on the ground propped up by his elbows. Only now Maggie's hands weren't on her hips. They were waving around in the air as she talked.

Glenn groaned as he shook his head at his wife's craziness. "Rick tripped causing them to fall and lose the race. She's been at this for almost ten minutes but nobody is crazy enough to go intervene." He said with another sad shake of his head.

"Are you scared of your wife, Glenn?" I teased him playfully.

He quickly nodded. "When she's like this? Absolutely. But don't tell her that."

"I won't." I told him as I pulled out of Daryl's embrace to go put a stop to my sisters tirade. "I'll be right back." I told them as I headed directly to Maggie so I could save Rick who looked at me with wide eyes when he spotted me coming from behind Maggie. "Margaret Greene Rhee! That is enough. You are embarrassing yourself." I told my older sister sternly.

She whirled around to see who had called her by her full name but forgot that her one leg was still tied to Rick's which meant that she fell to the ground next to Rick. "Beth!" She screeched as she sat up on the ground in a similar position to Rick.

Shaking my head at her I turned on my heel and walked back to Daryl and Glenn who were watching me with very different expressions on their faces. Glenn had a look of complete and utter shock on his face while Daryl had one of pride on his. "That's how it's done boys. Have fun. I'm headed to the ring toss next to check in with Samantha and Josh." I told them as I stepped up to press a quick kiss to Glenn's cheek and Daryl's lips before slipping between them and back onto the path.

Within just a few steps I had company on either side of me. "Lucky…" Daryl started but quickly stopped when I looked at him with one raised eyebrow.

"I'm not overdoing it, Daryl. I promise. Just making my rounds to check in with everybody before I go sit down. Plus, it's not long until dinner time." I told him as I led the way to the homemade ring toss we had created with deer antlers and canning rings.

Trouble nudged my fingers as we walked letting me know she was concerned about me too. "I'm fine, you two. My feet aren't even swollen yet!" I told them as I looked down at my feet that were covered in the moccasins that Dakota had made me last week when I almost couldn't get my boots off because my feet were swollen so badly. Samantha and Dakota had told me that since my feet were swollen so badly that I should start taking small breaks between periods of being on my feet and thankfully with winter slowly creeping up on us that was possible these days. Daryl was taking their suggestion seriously and made it his job to monitor the swelling in my feet.

"Not yet." Daryl muttered as he followed along beside me with a frown on his face.

Stopping in my tracks I turned to face my husband. "Daryl Dixon you drive me absolutely insane!" I told him as I put my hands on my hips.

He hung his head, letting his hair that needed cutting hang over his face.

Putting my hands on his chest I leaned into him. "I love you Daryl but this constant nagging is getting old. Since I started checking on the stations I have already sat down twice and as soon as I'm done I plan to go grab a bite to eat, sit down, and prop my feet up, okay? I'm not going to just sit down with my feet propped up all day just because I'm pregnant. I have stuff to do just like you do." I told him softly as he raised his eyes up to meet mine. The worry for my safety and the safety of our unborn child was written all over his face. "I love you but you've got to chill out, okay?"

He nodded as he leaned forward to press a kiss to my lips. "Love ya too, Lucky. I'm sorry."

Smiling at him I took a step back. "Now, would you escort me to the Ring toss and Egg Maze?"

"'Course." He told me as he motioned for me to start walking again.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Sitting sideways on the porch swing with my bare and slightly swollen feet resting in Daryl's lap I stroked my baby bump. "What are we going to name her?" I asked him just as he took a bite of the broccoli salad someone had brought for our potluck grab it as you want it style dinner.

He looked at me with wide eyes which let me know that he hadn't even thought about what name our child would have. And it scared him to know that he had to participate in naming her. If it was even a her. While we got to listen to the heartbeat with the doppler that Dakota had brought with her when she first came to the farm we didn't have an ultrasound machine so we couldn't see our child until she or he came out. "Ya pick."

"No sir. You are going to help me pick our child's name. We need one boy name and one girl name." I told him firmly, unwavering in my decision.

With a groan he finished off the last remnants of his dinner before setting his plate onto the floor of the porch and picking up my feet so he could rub them gently. "I ain't no good at this stuff."

I simply shrugged my shoulders and smiled at him as I continued to rub my stomach. "You're not getting out of this. Sorry. Let's do boys first. What's a boy name that you like?"

Daryl quickly shook his head. "Don't need a boy name. That'n's a girl."

"Fine, then what's a girl name you like?" I asked with a roll of my eyes. "If this is a boy I am going to tell him that his daddy thought he was a girl my whole pregnancy." I teased.

He shrugged. "Ain't a boy." He said as he reached over to place his hand on my stomach. "Hazel." He suggested.

I scrunched my nose up because that name didn't sit well with me. "Annabelle." I returned.

The expression on his face let me know that he didn't particularly care for that name. "Daisy."

Me. "Katrina."

Him. Eye roll.

Him. "Michelle."

Me. Nose scrunch.

Me. "Ashely."

Him. A grunt.

Him. "Catherine."

Me. Head shake.

Me. "Stephanie."

Him. A groan.

Him. "Danielle."

Me. Another eye roll.

Me. "Crystal."

Him. "Hell no."

Him. "Lilly."

Me. A huge smile because I just felt the first flutter of our child moving. "That's it! She just moved so she must like that name." I told him as I moved his hand to where I had felt the flutter though I had been told that he wouldn't be able to feel it for a while after I do. "Our girls name is Lilly. Is it a random name or someone ya knew?" I asked softly.

"My ma. Lillian." He muttered sadly. His mom had decided to selfishly take her own life when Daryl was just a little boy because she couldn't take being married to his abusive alcoholic father anymore.

Stroking the skin on the top of his hand I felt the tears prick at my eyes. "It's beautiful and perfect for our sweet baby girl."

He nodded as he rubbed my feet gently. We enjoyed the gentle night breeze as the rest of the farm enjoyed the carnival all of our communities worked hard to make possible. "I'm scared, ya know?" He whispered after a while of us just being quiet together.

"Me too, Daryl, me too. I never thought this was possible and nobody here has any idea whether the labor and delivery is going to be easy or difficult. But I am determined to enjoy ever single moment of this pregnancy without stressing about something I can't control." I told him as I reached down to squeeze his hand that was resting on our daughter. "I need you to do the same thing. Think you can do that for me?" I asked him softly.

Daryl smiled a rare smile at me and nodded. "I can try. I don't know what I'd do without ya. An' I don' wanna find out either."

I shook my head. "Me either. You think we can get away to the cabin for a few days before the pregnancy gets too far along? I don't know about you but I could do with some calm quiet days after everybody goes back home."

"A few days at the cabin sounds like heaven. Now, we just gotta tell Maggie and Carol." He told me with a wink as he set our swing to a gentle rocking motion once again.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Sitting on the bed Daryl had made us in my childhood bedroom while he moved our most prized possessions back into the room caused me to have mixed emotions. "Lucky, ya okay?" he asked as unloaded the cradle that I had packed this morning with my journals.

I shrugged my shoulders as I leaned back against the headboard with my hands folded over my large stomach that was ready to pop at any time. "I'm just not used to laying around all day anymore." I complained with a frown. I had been on pretty strict bed rest since we had come back from our little mini vacation to the cabin. The day after we had gotten back I was outside working in the greenhouse when severe pains in my lower stomach caused me to cry out and crumble to the floor. Without modern technology Dakota and Bob couldn't determine exactly what was wrong with me but had requested that I go on bed rest until Baby Dixon was born.

Daryl stopped what he was doing and made his way to the bed, sitting down beside me. "I know, Lucky, but we ain't got much longer to go." He whispered as his hands joined mine over where our baby was doing summersaults.

Nodding in agreement I sighed heavily. "I'm just worried that the gardens won't be done right. And that could be really bad for all of us. Then there's the root cellars. And the greenhouse." I rambled anxiously.

"You gave everybody detailed books about all that so it'll be fine. We all got your back, Lucky. Calm down so Lilly can, will ya?. Michie, Judy, and Avie are comin' when the boy gets done eatin'." He said as he pressed a quick kiss to my stomach then my lips before going back to placing our stuff on the shelves to make the room ours again. I hated the idea of moving back into the main house before it was time to have the baby but with the complications that had sprung up with my pregnancy it was the better option. This way I wasn't truly alone while Daryl was busy during the day. With both Lori and Michonne still recovering from their deliveries company was not on short supply. Both women had given birth just three days apart almost two weeks ago.

Michonne had delivered a beautiful little girl that they named Avonlea. The sweet baby was so tiny when she was born but other than barely weighing six pounds she had a head of curly hair and a great set of lungs. Carl and Judith both were enamored with their baby sister until she started crying, then it was time to give her back to her mom and dad.

Lori had given birth just three days after Michonne welcoming her third child into the world. Her and Andrew were proud new parents of a big boy that they named Evan. He weighed over eight pounds when he was born which caused Lori to shoot Andrew some very dirty looks whenever how chunky he was happened to be mentioned. Evan was the biggest of her three children.

Just as Daryl placed the last of my journals onto the shelf there was a knock on the door. "That must be the girls." I told Daryl as he brought Lilly's cradle to put next to the bed. "Come in." I called out to the closed door.

Michonne peaked her head through the door while Judy squeezed around her legs and barged on into the room. "B! B!" Judy called out as she ran towards me full speed with her long hair trailing behind her loosely.

"Hi, sweetheart. Are you driving your mom's crazy today?" I asked her as Daryl caught her just before she reached the edge of the bed, placing her gently onto the bed next to me with a smirk on his face.

Judith shook her head immediately while Michonne sighed and nodded as she came into the room, settling into rocker Patricia had brought up for me a few days ago. "She's a bundle of energy today for some reason and we're all exhausted. How's bed rest going?"

"Slow and boring." I told her with a shake of my head. "I want to be outside in the gardens or at least outside period where I can make sure things are planted where they need to be planted. It's frustrating not being able to do my part all of a sudden." I complained, causing Daryl and Michonne both to chuckle. "It's not funny." I grumbled sullenly as Judy placed her ear to my stomach to talk to the baby like she used to do Michonne and Lori's stomach's.

Michonne pulled Avie from her sling, handing her to Daryl, before looking at me with a smirk on her face. "Beth, the gardens are coming along just fine. Emily, Mika, and Willow are forces to be reckoned with when it comes to the garden beds and storage buildings." Michonne said with a shake of her head. "They carry your books around with them everywhere and are doing everything exactly as you have taught them to do, Beth. You need to calm down and just enjoy the last of your pregnancy, Bethie."

Sighing I nodded as I played with the ends of Judith's long hair. When she was a baby it was so blonde it was almost white but the older she got the darker it got which wasn't surprising since Lori, Shane, and Rick all had dark brown hair. "I know but the gardens are so important to the survival of this farm. People get angry when they are hungry. I can't help but stress about it." I told her as I watched Daryl walk to the window with Avie cradled in his arms, whispering to her softly.

"You have taught those girls well and trust me when I say they have everything under control until Little Dixon enters the world." Michonne said as she looked between the bed and Daryl who was still talking softly to the tiny little girl. People would never peg the rough around the edges man as being a softy when it came to babies but it was a sweet sight to see even though it was rare to catch. "How excited are you to be almost done with the pregnancy?"

I smiled brightly at her. "I'm not sure which one I'm more excited about. Not being pregnant anymore or watching Daryl hold and talk to our little one the way he does the other babies." I admitted to her as I watched my husband pull baby Avie to his chest when she started whimpering and squirming.

"It is a pretty sweet sight to see and he's so good with all the babies he is going to be an absolutely amazing father." Michonne told me with a wink as we both watched Daryl's cheek go slightly pink.

He shook his head at us as he headed for the bedroom door. "We're leavin'." He told us as he opened the door and left without another word causing us both to laugh as Judy quickly scrambled off the bed and out the door, calling Daryl's name.

"Uncle Daryl! Wait for me!" She called out as she scurried down the hall to where Daryl was waiting for her with her sister resting on his shoulder.

When we were alone Michonne crawled up in the bed next to me and within minutes was sound asleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The new momma was tired. I simply laid there beside her reading one of the book Baylee had brought up to me earlier the day from our small library. Books were not a top priority when our people went on runs but it was in the back of everybody's minds to grab any they saw if they had time. While our main people did not go on runs anymore since we were all having children some of the others still made small runs to finish clearing out the local towns around us and block off all the ways to our farm. Normally it was Jesus, Josh with Drew, Taylor, Carl, Enid, and Tara going on runs these days. Rick, Michonne, and Lori didn't really like Carl going on runs but he was a determined young man and had put his foot down saying that it was his job to go find things now that his parents were busy having babies.

I must have dozed off because the next time I blinked open my eyes Daryl was laid in the bed next to me with his hand resting gently on my stomach where our child slept. "How long have I been asleep?" I whispered softly into the quiet room with the only sound coming from the softly whirring ceiling fan above our heads, our breathing, and Trouble's snores.

"Couple hours. It's almost dinner time." He told me as he bent forward to press a kiss to my stomach and then to my lips. "Ya looked beautiful sleepin'."

My cheeks heated up at his compliment because since becoming pregnant he had developed a tendency to watch me sleep whenever he had the opportunity. "Didn't intent to fall asleep at all."

"Y'all needed ta rest." He whispered as he nipped at my lips again.

I moaned as I rolled over into his body, deepening our kiss. "How long 'til dinner?" I groaned as I pushed him onto his back and sitting up across his hips.

"It can wait." He growled as he sat up, sliding his hands up my thighs to grip my hips.

Needless to say, we were late for dinner but nobody said anything to us when we walked into the room with matching smirks on our faces. Obviously we didn't get in this situation by being celibate and it's not like we weren't married.

~*~LUCKY~*~

After three weeks of being cooped up in my childhood bedroom I demanded a new location for the daylight hours. Daryl, Michonne, and Carol were quick to get on my side when Maggie and Dakota began rambling about how it was a bad idea to not stay in bed. We all compromised and agreed that it couldn't hurt if I hung out on the porch swing a few hours a day or on the living room couch as long as I was relaxed and reclined. So today, I was reclining on the porch swing when Mika came running up to me with a big red tomato in her hand. "Look, Miss Beth! We did it!" she said excitedly as she handed me the big juicy and ripe tomato.

Smiling brightly at her I accepted the tomato from her. "This looks so delicious, Mika. I knew I picked the right girls to take over the garden while I had this baby." I praised her as I took a big bite out of the tomato.

She giggled at me as she hopped into the chair that was positioned next to my swing. "Yep. When's the baby coming though? I wanna know if I'm gonna win the bet." She said excitedly. "I've got the next four days picked."

"Bet? You guys are betting on when I'll have the baby?" I asked curiously because this was the first time I had heard about any kind of bet. Taking another bite out of the tomato, I waited for her explanation.

Mika nodded her head. "Yes ma'am. Whoever wins gets a day off work and to pick what's for dessert that night!" She said excitedly, her little legs swinging wildly in her excitement.

I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the bet but whatever they wanted to do was fine with me. "Well, sweetheart, I don't know when this baby will decide she's ready to come out and meet y'all but I'll let you know when she does." I told her as I handed her back the tomato to enjoy the rest of it.

"Okay, thanks." She chirped as she grabbed the tomato and scurried quickly off the porch. There was a steady stream of people in and out of that chair all day until it was time to move inside for dinner but my husband wasn't one of them and that kind of worried me. When Carol came up the steps I stopped her quickly. "Hey, have you seen Daryl around today?" I asked her, my nerves fairly noticeable in my voice.

She sighed and took the chair that had only been vacant for about 5 minutes or so. "He's been out tracking a bear all day that Zeke shot from his post. Him and Tyrese are together. They're still not back yet." She admitted softly, the regret clearly evident in her voice.

"Why would he leave the wall without telling me?" I asked in an almost frantic voice, swinging around so my feet were on the porch instead of stretched across the swing.

Carol stood from her chair to join me on the swing, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Because he didn't want to upset you when you are already having problems with the pregnancy. He didn't want to leave but he is the best tracker we've got." She explained softly.

"And he didn't think I would notice his absence all damn day? That man normally checks up on me at least twenty times a day." I screeched, my stomach tightening the more I got worked up. "Ow." I said as a cramp hit me low in my stomach.

Immediately Carol was kneeling in front of me. "What's wrong, Beth? Calm down and take some deep breaths." She told me as she rubbed soothing circles on my knees in an attempt to calm me down.

"It hurts." I groaned out as I doubled over my stomach as much as I could in an effort to ease the pain. "Oh God, it hurts so bad." I moaned as another pain wracked my stomach and back.

Carol pushed my hair back off my face. "I think it's that time, Beth. Let's get you upstairs so we can get you checked out. Okay?"

I nodded as I let her help me stand up. "I can't have this baby without Daryl here, Carol." I cried as she led me through the door and into the house.

"He'll be back, Beth. He wouldn't stay out overnight knowing you are so close to having the baby." She said in attempt to soothe my ruffled feathers. But it didn't work.

Gripping the banister of the stairs I glared at her. "He never should have left in the first place. Idiot." I told her just as the screen door slammed shut behind us.

"Lucky?!"

I sagged in relief as my husband's voice echoed through the house. "On the stairs, Pookie." Carol called out to him.

When I caught sight of him I gasped because he was covered in blood from head to toe. And stunk. "What the hell happened to you?" I seethed as I turned around to sit on the stairs as another pain wrapped through my stomach.

"Had to fight some walkers for the bear. We won. They lost." He said with a shrug of his shoulders as he knelt in front of me. "I'm sorry, Lucky. Ya okay?" He asked me softly as he reached out to touch my cheek with a single finger to keep from getting me dirty.

I shook my head as tears formed in my eyes. "No, I'm not okay. Your daughter has decided today is a good day to make her appearance and my husband who is not supposed to leave the walls has been gone ALL DAMN DAY!" I practically screamed as another pain caused me to double over.

Carol pushed Daryl around me and up the stairs. "Go get cleaned up while I get Beth settled so Dakota can check her."

Thirty minutes later Daryl walked into our bedroom with his wet hair hanging over his eyes wearing nothing but his sweat pants and a t-shirt. "How could you do that to me?" I asked as he slid into the bed beside me. I was in active labor but was only dilated to a two so it was going to be a while before we had the baby. Dakota said everything looked great and the baby's heartrate was within normal range so I could just labor normally. If I felt like walking the hall then that could speed my labor along but just don't attempt the stairs any time soon.

"I'm sorry, Lucky. I didn't think I'd be gone so long. I had ta try ta get the meat." He explained softly.

I nodded in understanding because I truly did understand how valuable that meat was to our community. "You could've missed our baby being born. I could have lost you. You said we weren't leaving the walls unless we were together and I was stuck on the damn porch." I ranted irritably as another contraction hit me.

Daryl rubbed my back and stomach until the pain subsided. "I know, Lucky, I know. I'm sorry." He whispered as he pressed soft kisses all over my face and head. "I love ya."

"I love you too." I whispered back as I gave in to his sweet side and cuddled into him as we settled in for a long night of laboring.

By the next afternoon we had welcomed baby Lilly Grace Dixon into the world with the help of our closest friend and my sister. Dakota had come in to check on me to make sure everything was okay from a medical stand-point but I was adamant that I didn't want her in the room when I gave birth. Only Maggie, Carol, and Daryl were going to get to witness my whooha being stretched to astronomical proportions.

~*~LUCKY~*~

Being a mother was one of the greatest experiences in the world but it rivalled watching Daryl be a father to our little one. As the weeks and months passed and our daughter grew she wrapped herself tighter and tighter around her daddy's finger. When Lilly was just three weeks old I went back to tending the gardens alongside Mika, Willow, and Emily. Time flew by once I was allowed to actually do something other than sit or lay around all the time. "How's my girls doin' today?" Daryl asked as he stepped through the door of the greenhouse where I was busy prepping my pots for the vegetables that I grew over the winter months. My winter crops weren't as extensive as my summer and fall crops were but it was still nice to have fresh lettuce, cabbage, radishes, turnips, broccoli, spinach, and squash during the winter months.

"We're great. I'm just telling Lilly how important it is to talk to the plants and let them know how much we appreciate their sacrifice to feed us." I told him teasingly as I nodded over to where our daughter was playing with two plastic cups in her walker while Trouble lounged and napped next to her. This was the outside walker because the wheels had long broken off which made it immobile but was great in containing crawling and curious little ones. At four months old Lilly Dixon was a quiet and joyful baby for the most part but she could also hold her own when it came to temper tantrums.

Daryl shook his head as he plucked out chunky baby girl from her 'prison' and tossing her in the air playfully. Her giggles and cackles filled the space around us causing us both to smile. "Don't let Momma's silliness rub off on ya too much, sunshine. Ya ain't gotta talk to the plants to make 'em do what they're suppost ta do." He told her as he caught her and brought her forward to rub his scruff playfully against her neck causing her to squeal and giggle even louder.

"My momma used to talk to the flowers and vegetables so it's just something I grew up doing and do now to help keep her memory alive." I explained as I turned back to planting my pots of cabbages.

Daryl groaned when he realized the reasoning behind my silliness of talking to the plants I tended to daily but I refused to turn around and acknowledge him first. "Lucky…" He whispered as he stepped up behind me, placing his now empty hands on my hips. "I didn't know."

I nodded in acknowledgement but the sting of tears in my throat kept me from speaking aloud.

"Ya talk to them plants all ya want. And teach Lilly ta do it too. Cause her Granny done it." He told me firmly against the side of my head. "Love you."

"I love you too." I croaked out as I leaned back against his chest, seeking the comfort he so willingly offered. "Thank you."

He placed a kiss to the side of my neck. "Anytime, Lucky. I'ma take Lilly an Trouble wit' me for a bit."

"Okay. Be safe." I told him as I turned my head to press a kiss to his soft lips.

"Always." He grunted as he stepped away from me to pick up our girl from her baby prison. "Come on, sunshine. Trouble." He called as he left the greenhouse. Trouble gave a grunt but followed after her daddy and sister. I was really surprised at how well Trouble took to Lilly invading her personal space but she just took it all in stride and made it her mission to be Lilly's shadow.

When I was finished getting my winter crops planted I headed for the rot cellar to take a look at the stock down there with the knowledge that our last summer harvests weren't long in the future. We were also planning a huge feast to celebrate 'Thanksgiving' for the first time since the world went bad. That was just three weeks away so Lindsey and Karen were busy teaching the children all about origins of Thanksgiving.

There was a lot going on around the farm these days as we were in the middle of expanding the living quarters of the wall spaces. With babies being born left and right our living space was dwindling slowly. It had been a huge discussion amongst the wall residents on whether to expand up or out since coming inward wasn't an option at all due to garden and animal space. William and Lindsey said that if we added to the top then it would only be in sections due to the green spaces between each set of rooms. Nobody liked the idea of not having a solid wall all the way around so it was a group decision to add another round of rooms to the outside of the current walls. Again, we would go a few feet taller than the current walls in an attempt to hide the fact that people lived inside the walls. With the decision to add another round of rooms made the process of clearing the land and cutting the lumber began. That is where Daryl spent most of his days. Either at the saw mill or outside the gates cutting and hauling the trees back in.

As I come up from the root cellar I spotted Daryl talking to Rick and Abraham with Lilly resting comfortably on his hip and Trouble laying in the grass at his feet. Lilly had her fingers playing with the feathers on the end of Daryl's arrows while her daddy talked to her uncles. Trouble was the first to spot me. I couldn't help but smile as her ears stood up straight and she turned her head in my direction as I slowly made my way to them. My breasts ached which told me it was lunch time for our sunshine. Trouble must have whined because I suddenly had an audience as I finished the last ten yards or so that stood between me and them. "I was just about ta come get ya." Daryl told me when I was within hearing distance. "She's whinin'."

I nodded. "It's time for her to eat." I explained as I pulled my sweet girl from her Daddy's side into my own arms. "Hello, my sunshine. Did you have fun with Daddy?" I asked my sweet baby as I brushed her light brown hair back from her face.

She smiled up at me as she tugged at my t-shirt with a whimper. I grinned down at her before turning to face the three men in front of me. "Sorry boys, gotta take the princess to feed her. You guys can have her back in a little bit."

They all chuckled but nodded in understanding as us three girls took off for the front porch where my nursing sheet was laying on the swing.

Instead of the original every two-hour feedings our girl demanded when she was first born we were now spaced out to about every four hours. At nighttime she would sleep almost to dawn if I fed her right before putting her down for the night. Instead of my days starting at sunrise they now started a little later when the little princess woke up from her early morning nap. I spent those few hours journaling, catching up on the garden books, having sexy time with the hubby, or reading a book. It was strange at first to spend my early morning relaxing but now I enjoyed the time while my little one slept on soundly. Occasionally I would get a few more hours of sleep right along with her but not every day because I had gotten into the habit of rising with the sun since taking over the gardens.

The gardens were another thing that had changed since I had been put on bed rest while pregnant, I now had less of a problem accepting help from people. Mika, Emily, and Baylee could usually be found in the gardens with me most days. It was nice to put some of the burden off on other people though everybody told me I was still super anal about everything pertaining to the gardens. I just simply told them that it was my anal tendencies that allowed them to eat good all year long. That usually shut them up fairly quickly.

As I settled onto the porch swing with my sweet sunshine watching me eagerly drape the nursing sheet over my shoulder I began to hum a tune to help her settle into her feeding. I had taken to singing a song to her whenever she was nursing, I'm not sure if it helped or not but it was something I enjoyed doing with her. I launched into Trace Adkins song "Every Light in the House" as my sunshine latched on and began suckling.

 _I told you I'd leave a light on  
In case you ever wanted to come back home  
You smiled and said you appreciate the gesture  
I took your every word to heart  
'Cause I can't stand us being apart  
And just to show how much I really miss ya_

 _Every light in the house is on  
The backyard's bright as the crack of dawn  
The front walk looks like runway lights  
It's kinda like noon in the dead of night  
Every light in the house is on  
Just in case you ever do get tired of being gone  
Every light in the house is on_

The song seemed fitting since we had six people out on a scavenging mission currently. Jesus, Kayden, T-Dogg, Zeke, Alexa, and Tara had left nine days ago to head south towards Haralson and all the other teeny tiny towns in that direction to see what they could scrape up and to clear the town see if they could find any new survivors. They were only supposed to be gone for five days maximum so our entire farm was concerned but we were holding out hope for a few more days before sending out another search party for them.

 _If I should ever start forgetting  
I'll turn the lights off one by one  
So you can see that I agree it's over  
But until then I want you to know  
If you look south, you'll see a glow  
That's me waiting at home each night to hold ya_

 _Every light in the house is on  
The backyard's bright as the crack of dawn  
The front walk looks like runway lights  
It's kinda like noon in the dead of night  
Every light in the house is on  
Just in case you ever do get tired of being gone  
Oh every light in the house is on  
The backyard's bright as the crack of dawn  
The front walk looks like runway lights  
It's kinda like noon in the dead of night  
Every light in the house is on  
Just in case you ever do get tired of being gone  
Every light in the house is on_

As I ended the song I felt my sunshine slack off a little but I knew she wasn't finished, she was just being lazy. "Wake up, little girl, and finish your lunch." I told her as I jiggled her around as I switched her to the other breast so it would stop aching too. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would enjoy the torture of breastfeeding but now I couldn't imagine not having this precious time with my baby girl. I pumped into a bottle also so that Daryl could have that special bonding time with her also. He normally gave her a bottle just before our bath time routine started up in the late evenings. "Lucky." Daryl whispered as he sat on the swing next to me where I fed our daughter.

I quickly rearranged me and Lilly so that I was resting my back against Daryl's side with our girl stretched out across my stomach as she nursed. "I missed you this morning." I whispered to him as I nestled my head into his shoulder.

He ran his fingers through my long blonde hair before pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Missed ya too."

Daryl set the swing to swaying in a gentle motion while our little Lilly rested against my stomach. As we settled into the motion of the swing the sounds of the farm became our music. This is not the life I ever pictured for myself or the world I expected my children or niece and nephews to grow up in but I would have to say that we had faired quite well in the new world. Was our place in the world secure? Absolutely not and we all knew that but we also all chose to live our lives as normally as possible while we could. Everybody on this farm and in the other communities worked hard everyday to make our lives safe and simply possible. "Love you." I whispered as I felt Lilly fully relax onto my stomach with a heavy sigh.

"Love ya too, Lucky."


End file.
